CHED, PRC align teacher education, board exam

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday witnessed the signing of a joint memorandum circular that seeks to address the misalignment between the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s teacher education curriculum and the board licensure examination for professional teachers administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), a problem that has been linked to low passing rates.

Under the memorandum circular, the licensure examination for professional teachers will now be conducted separately by program, aligned with the relevant programs, standards and guidelines issued by CHED to ensure accurate assessment of competencies.

This includes distinct exams for elementary education, secondary education and other specializations.

For elementary education, the focus will include two vital specializations, namely early childhood and special needs education.

The secondary education’s specializations will include English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Values Education, Technology and Livelihood Education, Technical-Vocational Teacher Education, Physical Education and Culture and Arts Education.

CHED Chair Prospero de Vera and PRC Chair Charito Zamora signed the circular during a ceremony attended by education stakeholders at Malacañang.

“Through the close cooperation of the Professional Regulation Commission and the Commission on Higher Education, we are aligning our systems to ensure the licensure examination reflects the actual competencies needed in classrooms today – whether in early childhood education, special needs education, or the many subjects taught in high schools across the country,” Marcos said in a speech delivered after the signing ceremony.

Earlier, the Second Congressional Commission on Education reported that the misalignment between the CHED teacher education curriculum and the PRC-administered licensure examination has led to low passing rates and teacher specialization mismatch. –  Elizabeth Marcelo