Manila: The Teacher Education Council (TEC) has launched a comprehensive 10-year roadmap designed to guide the development of innovative and collaborative programs aimed at advancing teacher education across the Philippines. The roadmap, unveiled on Thursday, is set to empower educators through scholarships, training, upskilling, and reskilling initiatives, while addressing employment mismatches with a harmonized database.

According to Philippines News Agency, the 2035 Teacher Education Roadmap will help reshape and reframe the specializations of teachers to align with their actual teaching functions. TEC Office of the Secretariat Executive Director V Jennie Jocson highlighted the importance of redirecting teachers to new specializations when their current teaching roles differ from their initial training.

The roadmap identifies priority areas with significant supply gaps, including early childhood education, values education, and special needs and inclusive education. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) acknowledged the existing mismatches and emphasized the need for policy recommendations under the roadmap to address shortages in Math and Science instructors, as well as TVET (Technical-Vocational Education and Training) instructors.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has also expressed its support for the roadmap. PRC Chairperson Charito Zamora emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration to align teaching, training, and licensing with the evolving demands of the Philippine education system. By identifying policy gaps and proposing reforms, TEC sets the direction, while PRC focuses on implementing changes, particularly in licensure examinations.

In addition to upskilling and reskilling initiatives, TEC announced plans to launch a harmonized database of supply and demand information by 2026. This database aims to consolidate data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to address mismatches and prevent program duplication.

TEC is also promoting ‘alternative pathways’ for other qualified professionals to enter the teaching industry, including community development workers and holders of two-year degree programs. The roadmap’s initiatives are expected to significantly enhance the quality of teacher education in the Philippines.