PRC probes errors in teachers’ exams

Professional Regulation Commission chairperson Antonieta Fortuna-Ibe, following a complaint from an examinee, ordered an investigation of the alleged errors in the recently concluded licensure examination for teachers.

Preliminary results of the investigation identified most of the errors to be primarily typographical in nature and will not materially affect the substance of the questions, the PRC said.

Based on the investigation, there were 33 errors out of the 2,200 questions, or 1.5 percent of the total questions prepared for the 14 subjects in the licensure examination.

In a statement, Fortuna-Ibe said that it is regrettable that there had been lapses by the members of the Board for Professional Teachers in the editing of the questions, despite the rigid editing procedures.

This was explained by the members of the Board for Professional Teachers as due to time constraints in the printing of the test questions.

To protect the interests of the examinees, however, the Board for Professional Teachers announced that the questions at issue will be excluded from the examination, the statement said.

Fortuna-Ibe, former chairperson of the Board of Accountancy and previously SGV & Co. partner, said that she will continue to investigate this problem in the licensure examination for teachers, and review the process to ensure quality standard in the licensure examinations, as part of the policy reforms that she intends to pursue.

She also believes that there may be changes necessary in the new PRC modernization law and the Board for Professional Teachers law to push for these reforms.