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December 4, 2025 | 10:45am
MANILA, Philippines — Responding to criticism over its call for graduate schools to refocus on the classroom, the government's Teacher Education Council (TEC) said its new policies target longstanding weaknesses in teacher preparation rather than limit the graduate school paths educators rely on for promotion.
The explanation comes after the commentary “The problem isn’t what teachers study; it’s the system that limits their choices” questioned TEC’s call for graduate schools to “refocus on the classroom,” saying that teachers often choose Educational Management degrees because of affordability, accessibility and promotion incentives rather than personal preference.
In a letter to Philstar.com dated December 2, TEC Executive Director V Jennie Jocson said the piece "correctly highlights the long-standing challenges within Philippine teacher education" but misses the broader reform landscape the council is now implementing.
"Our strategy is not about limitation; it is about establishing uncompromising quality assurance at every level of the system," Jocson said.
The issue begins with the quality of teacher education
While the commentary pointed out the proliferation of low-quality graduate leadership programs, TEC said the deeper issue lies in the uneven standards across more than 1,500 Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).
Jocson said this is what the Philippine Teacher Education Registry, or PhilTER, seeks to address. Rolled out jointly with the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the registry identifies compliant programs, screens degree mills and establishes a uniform standard for assessing teacher credentials.
"The system cannot improve until we first ensure the integrity of the suppliers—the TEIs themselves," Jocson said.
Public funds must support critical expertise
Authors of the commentary argued that teachers choose leadership programs because subject-based degrees are often expensive or located in research universities far from where teachers work. They warned that TEC’s messaging risks oversimplifying this reality.
Jocson countered that the issue is not about limiting leadership programs but about prioritizing government resources for degrees that strengthen core learning areas.
TEC’s priority areas include Math and Science specialization, Reading instruction, Early Childhood Education, Special Needs Education, multigrade teaching, Indigenous Peoples Education and the Alternative Learning System.
"This is responsible governance: ensuring that every peso spent on teacher development yields maximum return for the Filipino learner," TEC's official said.
Shifting away from credential-collecting
The commentary also argued that the system rewards "credentials more than developing competence," pointing to teachers who pursue quick and inexpensive degrees to meet promotion requirements.
Jocson agreed that the culture of credentialism must shift but said that growth should be anchored in continuous development through the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) and accredited training providers.
"A teacher's development is a lifelong process that must be rooted in structured, classroom-focused programs delivered by the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) and other accredited learning providers," Jocson said.
"Excellence must be measured by demonstrated competence and impact on student learning, not merely the acquisition of another diploma," she added.
Reforming the structure
While the commentary urged TEC to strengthen research rigor, improve faculty qualifications and expand scholarships for subject expertise, the council said these priorities are already embedded in its long-term Teacher Education Roadmap 2035.
The roadmap outlines reforms that include raising entry standards into the teaching profession, establishing TEI-wide quality assurance and expanding centers of excellence such as the Teacher Education Excellence Center (TEEC).
"The solution to systemic failure is not to lament the system, but to reform the core mechanisms that define quality," TEC's official said.
"The recent actions by TEC are foundational steps in building an authoritative, unified, and sustainable framework that guarantees professional excellence for every Filipino teacher," she added.
