'TEACHER TRAINING IS CRUCIAL STEP FOR EDUC REFORM'

Senator Edgardo J. Angara emphasized the need for more teacher training programs, especially in light of upcoming K to 12 reforms.

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture made his remarks at the closing ceremonies of a five-day teacher training program, organized in collaboration with the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education, Inc (FUSE).

Held in Baler, Aurora, the training program was attended by 191 Aurora public school educators. Subject areas tackled during the training were Elementary Science and Health, High school Mathematics, English, Physics and Chemistry.

"Since information nowadays is very fluid, it is important for our teachers to continue studying and training themselves. In that way, misconceptions can easily be cleared, especially in info-intensive areas like the sciences," Angara said.

He added that updating textbooks and teaching guides may become too costly and impractical, saying more accessible means to information should be utilized.

During the training program, FUSE gave away educational materials like DVDs to the teacher participants for use during classroom discussions.

Angara, who is also Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology explained, "We should aim to roll out more trainings that will not only refresh and update teacher's knowledge of the subject matter, but also upgrade and deepen their mastery of it. This is important for the success of pending K to 12 reforms to our educational system."

As part of the Aquino administration's ten-point education reform agenda, the Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing for the deployment of a K to 12 educational system, which will add two years to the basic education cycle.

"Our goal here is to produce bright students armed with the most updated knowledge for them to perform well in the global market. The K to 12 curriculum is just one step. The next step is making sure we train our teachers especially those in far-flung provinces," Angara said.

The former UP President concluded, "Moves to improve Philippine education will fail if we do not equip our teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge. Our government should intensify efforts along these lines and make sure we get more quality teachers in our classrooms."

Estabished in December 1994, FUSE is the brainchild of Angara, Rep. Salvador H. Escudero III, and Dr. Lucio C. Tan.