Quezon City (4th District) Representative Marvin Rillo proposed a P1.5-billion budget for public school teachers' in-service retooling to strengthen their competencies in delivering lessons in English, mathematics, and science.
In a statement on Sunday, Rillo mentioned that an average of P746 million a year has been allocated by Congress in the national budget for the teachers' in-service training, but pointed out that starting next year, the budget should be doubled to P1.5 billion a year.
According to the legislator, the Department of Education's (DepEd) partners should implement in-service training programs to upgrade teachers' expertise, including in public and private institutions such as the University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, and the Development Academy of the Philippines.
The Committee on Basic Education and Culture previously supported the passage of House Bill No. 238, which calls for the establishment of a Teacher Education and Training Committee (TETC) to improve the hiring and training of teachers.
The TETC shall be solely responsible for establishing minimum criteria in expertise instruction as well as other relevant matters for hiring and evaluating new and current teachers.
By amending Sections 5 and 7 of Republic Act (RA) 10533, or the Basic Education Act of 2013, the measure also proposes the implementation of a "ladderized approach" in the Kinder to Grade 12 (K to 12) curriculum to improve student education and teacher proficiency.
Rep. Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy of Caloocan City (2nd District) introduced the bill, claiming that the laddered approach would ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level rather than the spiral progression approach used in RA 10533.
As defined in RA 10647, or the Ladderized Education Act of 2014, the ladderized approach harmonizes all education and training mechanisms, allowing students to progress between technical-vocational and higher education programs or vice versa.
During the Basic Education Report 2023 in January, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte promised to revise the K–12 curriculum "to make them more responsive to our aspiration as a nation and to develop lifelong learners imbued with 21st-century skills, discipline, and patriotism."
She claims that consulting experts, adapting to local and international best practices, and making evidence-based decisions will provide children with appropriate skills rather than mere familiarity.
