Gatchalian on improving LET scores: Ensure quality teacher training, education

While an advocacy group is lamenting the persistently low passing rates among Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) takers, Senator Win Gatchalian is pressing the need to fully implement the Excellence in Teacher Education Act (Republic Act No. 11713).

Based on the Philippine Business for Education's (PBEd) study on the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) from 2010-2022, the passing rate for overall takers at the elementary level is only 37% and 40% for the secondary level.

The study further reveals that based on the overall passing rates of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) with at least 300 takers in at least seven out of 12 years, the share of high-performing TEIs at the elementary level is only 2.2% and 2.0% at the secondary level. High-performing TEIs have an overall passing rate of at least 75% in at least 7 out of the 12 years from 2010 to 2022.

The percentage of low-performing TEIs from the same period is 34.8% at the elementary level and 24.4% at the secondary level. Low-performing TEIs are those with an overall passing rate of at most 25% in the same period.

According to Gatchalian, the Excellence in Teacher Education Act is already in place and needs full implementation to address low passing rates of the LET and to increase the number of high-performing TEIs. The law, which Gatchalian authored and sponsored, seeks to improve the quality of teacher education and training through a revamped Teacher Education Council (TEC), which will strengthen the coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). This is to ensure coherence in teacher education and training from pre-service to in-service.

"Sa pagsisikap nating iangat ang kalidad ng edukasyong natatanggap ng ating mga kabataan, mahalagang tiyakin din natin na nakatatanggap din ang ating mga guro ng dekalidad na edukasyon, lalo na't sila ang may pinakamahalagang papel sa pagkatuto ng ating mga mag-aaral," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

In her presentation of the 2023 Basic Education Report (BER), Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Duterte said that the DepEd aims to make the new TEC and its Secretariat fully functional. She added that the TEC will start working on its mandates, including the setting of minimum requirements for pre-service teacher education programs in the country.

Mababang passing rate sa LET ikinababahala ni Gatchalian

Habang nababahala ang isang advocacy group sa nananatiling mababang passing rates sa mga kumukuha ng Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), iginiit naman ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang pangangailangan para sa ganap na pagpapatupad ng Excellence in Teacher Education Act (Republic Act No. 11713).

Batay sa pag-aaral ng Philippine Business for Education hinggil sa mga resulta ng Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) mula 2010 hanggang 2022, 37% lamang ang passing rate sa mga overall takers sa elementary level at 40% naman sa secondary level.

Lumabas din sa naturang pag-aaral na batay sa overall passing rates ng mga Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) na mayroong takers na hindi bababa sa 300, 2.2% lamang ang mga maituturing na high-performing TEIs sa elementary level at 2.0% lamang sa secondary level. Saklaw ng resultang ito ang pito sa 12 taong bahagi ng pag-aaral. May overall passing rate na 75% ang mga high-performing TEIs sa loob ng pitong taon mula 2010 hanggang 2022.

Aabot naman sa 34.8% ang bilang ng mga low-performing TEIs sa elementary level at 24.4% naman sa secondary level. Maituturing na low-performing ang isang TEI kung umabot lamang sa 25% ang overall passing rate nito sa mga taong saklaw ng pag-aaral.

Ayon kay Gatchalian, kinakailangan ang ganap na pagpapatupad ng Excellence in Teacher Education Act upang tugunan ang mababang passing rate sa LET at upang paramihin ang bilang ng mga high-performing TEIs. Sa ilalim ng batas na akda ni Gatchalian, iaangat ang kalidad ng pagsasanay at edukasyon sa mga guro sa pamamagitan ng pinatatag na Teacher Education Council (TEC) na magpapaigting sa ugnayan ng Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), at Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). Titiyakin ng TEC ang ugnayan sa iba't ibang yugto ng teacher education mula pre-service hanggang in-service.

"Sa pagsisikap nating iangat ang kalidad ng edukasyong natatanggap ng ating mga kabataan, mahalagang tiyakin din natin na nakakatanggap din ang ating mga guro ng dekalidad na edukasyon, lalo na't sila ang may pinakamahalagang papel sa pagkatuto ng ating mga mag-aaral," ani Gatchalian, Chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Sa kanyang presentasyon ng 2023 Basic Education Report (BER), inanunsyo ni Vice President at Secretary of Education Sara Duterte na tityakin ng DepEd ang paglulunsad ng bagong TEC at Secretariat. Aniya, sisimulan na ng TEC ang pagtupad sa mga mandato nito, kabilang ang pagtatatalaga ng mga minimum requirements para sa pre-service teacher education programs sa bansa.