COTABATO CITY, Philippines -— The education department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is banking on the Teachers’ Assessment and Competency Exam (TACE) to ensure that mentors in its ranks are competent and qualified to help build peace-loving communities.
John Magno, assistant regional secretary for operations of the ARMM’s Department of Education, said the TACE is also meant to ensure the proficiency of teachers and boost the quality education in the region. Magno said the process requires aspirants to teaching positions to undergo competency examinations, panel interviews and teaching demonstrations.

“This mechanism will ascertain that only `quality teachers’ will be hired for a regionally competitive ARMM,†said Magno, who had studied industrial and education psychology in the United Kingdom.

He said new applicants will be ranked based on their TACE results, besides their passing rates in the teachers’ licensure exams. The DepEd-ARMM already conducted a series of competency exams to almost 500 applicants from the provinces of Basilan, Maguindanao, and Tawi-Tawi.

“We are yet to finalize the schedule for Sulu which will definitely be conducted in Zamboanga City next month,†said Mubarak Pandi, DepEd regional information officer said.

“…TACE will serve as an equal opportunity for all applicants to cut away the ill practice of ‘palakasan,†he added.