Brief Background of the Teacher Education Council
The Teacher Education Council (TEC) was created in 1994 through the Republic Act (RA) 7784. RA 7784 was among the five laws enacted following the recommendations of the first Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) in its 1991 report entitled “Making Education Work: An Agenda for Reform” to address the declining quality of education. In the report, systems planning and coordination was identified as one of the crucial components for identifying strategic direction for Philippine education. It then recommends a National Council for Education composed of the heads of the Department of Basic Education, CHED, and TESDA to address the issues of national education.
RA 7784: The 1994 TEC Law
4 August 1994
“AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES BY ESTABLISHING CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE, CREATING A TEACHER EDUCATION COUNCIL FOR THE PURPOSE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”
24 YEARS LATER SINCE THE EDCOM 1991 REPORT…
National assessments show that the Philippines’ quality of education is declining, and the country’s poor performance in the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows that it is falling behind international performance (OECD, 2018).
In 2017, high-level discussions were held to discuss possible solutions through policy recommendations. The Technical Working Group for Teacher Quality (TWG-TQ) was formed by then Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. and continued by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.
The result of TWG-TQ initiative was the passing of the RA 11713 or the new TEC Law in 2022. The law was authored by Sen. Gatchalian and Sen. Villanueva, Rep. Romulo and Rep. Go, among others.
REPUBLIC ACT 11713: EXCELLENCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION ACT
27 APRIL 2022
AN ACT FURTHER STRENGTHENING TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES BY ENHANCING THE TEACHER EDUCATION COUNCIL, ESTABLISHING A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS IN THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM, INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NATIONAL EDUCATORS’ ACADEMY OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7784, ENTITLED “AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES BY ESTABLISHING CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE, CREATING A TEACHER EDUCATION COUNCIL FOR THE PURPOSE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”