Teaching Professionalization in the Philippines

Professionalization of Teaching in the Philippines

• On January 1, 1977, Presidential Decree 1006 was proclaimed, making teaching a professionalized field in the Philippines.

Premise of PD 1006

• The decree was based on the recognition of teachers as potent forces in shaping the attitudes of citizens, with over 300,000 teachers deployed across the country.
• The growth of the teaching population necessitated the regulation of the profession.
• Teaching requires years of collegiate study, making it imperative to recognize it as a profession.
• The decree aimed to raise the morale of teachers, acknowledging their vital role in nation-building.

Provisions of PD 1006

• The decree stated that teacher education should be of the highest quality, oriented to Philippine conditions and the needs of the Filipino people.
• A joint examination by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Education and Culture was implemented for teachers.
• Passers of the examination qualified for registration as professional teachers and received a Professional Teacher Certificate.
• A teacher's license became a requirement for teaching, with a three-year grace period.

Impact of PD 1006

• Despite professionalization, the quality of education in the Philippines did not improve, as found by the 1991 Congressional Commission.
• The EDCOM reported that the quality of Philippine education was declining, citing poorly trained teachers, low-quality students in teacher training, and teaching being perceived as a poorly esteemed profession.

Subsequent Developments

• In 1994, the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act (R.A. 7836) was enacted, recognizing the vital role of teachers in nation-building.
• The Act created the Board for Professional Teachers and established the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).
• Passers of the LET were granted a license to teach, and subsequent amendments to the Act aimed to attract "the best and the brightest" to the teaching profession.