Teacher training center to be set up

MANILA, Philippines - Australia continues to build its commitment to help improve the quality of education in the Philippines by strengthening the leadership and professional excellence of Filipino teachers.

The University of New England (UNE) and the Philippine Normal University (PNU) recently formalized a partnership to establish a Research Center for Teacher Quality at the PNU campus in Manila. The Center is supported by the Australian government as part of its broader assistance to the country’s education sector.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has committed P235 million (A$5.6 million) for the research center’s initial three years of operation. The Center is envisioned to be the hub for research activities and policy recommendations on improving the quality of teaching in the country, particularly linking to the government’s Kindergarten to Year 12 (K to 12) program.

The UNE has a solid track record of more than 70 years in teacher education in Australia. Its education research center, the SiMERR National Research Centre, has undertaken significant projects in the field of pre-service and continuing service education.

PNU, on the other hand, has been designated as the National Center for Teacher Education under Republic Act 9647 and has a mandate to form a network of universities across the country that are concerned with teacher education.

The Center will formally open by November. A second research center focused on curriculum and assessment will also be established before the year ends.

These centers are part of the Australian government’s commitment to working with the Philippines in improving the quality of and access to basic education.

Australia provides around P2 billion (A$50 million) annually to train teachers, provide educational facilities including classrooms and day-care centers, strengthen school-based management practice, improve education planning and management systems, and provide teaching and learning materials.