Teacher quality champion is new CSC Chair; RCTQ congratulates Karlo Nograles
Malacañang’s teacher quality champion has been appointed as the new head of the country’s central human resource agency—the Civil Service Commission.
Former Cabinet Secretary and new Civil Service Commission chairman Atty. Karlo Alexei Nograles
Former Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Karlo Alexei Nograles was appointed as Chairman of the CSC by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 4, succeeding former chair Alicia dela Rosa-Bala who retired last February 2. When confirmed by the Committee on Appointments, Atty. Nograles will serve as CSC chairman until Feb. 2, 2029.
As Cabinet Secretary, Atty. Nograles was instrumental in bringing national focus to teacher quality. Building on the initiative of his predecessor—former Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr.—and with a fresh directive from President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017 to organize a “national effort for quality basic education,” he led and scaled up the Malacañang-led Technical Working Group for Teacher Quality (TWG-TQ). The TWG-TQ was made up of officials from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, Department of Education, Teacher Education Council, Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) and RCTQ.
A TWG-TQ meeting presided by Sec. Nograles in 2019 attended by representatives from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary; Department of Education; Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA); and RCTQ.
Led by Sec. Nograles, the TWG-TQ arrived at a consensus to amend RA 7784 or the Teacher Education Council Act of 1994 as the most strategic direction to improve the quality of Philippine education. RCTQ then drafted the first version of the TEC reform bill in 2020. The bill hurdled a series of committee hearings and TWG meetings both at the Senate and House of Representatives, leading to the plenary approval of SB 2152 and HB 10301 in both chambers, and the respective ratification of the bill’s unified version in both houses on 31 January 2022. Now known as the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, the bill is awaiting the President’s signature to become a national law.
During the first hearing at the Senate on 4 November 2020, Nograles said: “While education issues can be addressed from multiple viewpoints, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary has been in dialog with key agencies since 2017 through the TWG-TQ to find a practical solution to address these problems through the lens of teacher quality. Like what many education experts have said, nothing in any education system can work without an adequate supply of quality teachers.”
“The executive branch is right behind and fully supportive of this bill as directed by the President himself in our 43rd Cabinet meeting,” he added. (Watch the video)
At the second Senate hearing on TEC reform bill on 10 December 2020, Sec. Nograles said: “If we want to aim so high as a nation, we need to support our teachers. Whatever is good for our teachers is also good for the country. They deserve nothing less from us.”
A meeting between RCTQ, Rep. Roman Romulo, Sec. Nograles and PNU President Dr. Bert J. Tuga in 2020
“Teachers are molded from the time they take up teacher education in higher education institutions until the time they practice their profession in schools. It is therefore very compelling that agencies such as CHED, PRC and DepEd are strategically linked for a common objective –developing quality teachers,” Sec. Nograles said, describing one of the goals of the TEC reform bill.
Sec. Nograles joined the PNU-RCTQ in meetings with legislators including Rep. Roman Romulo to discuss the draft TEC reform bill.
At the Celebrating RCTQ Partnerships event in August 2019, Sec. Nograles, through a video message, shared his reflection on the need to elevate the quality of Filipino teachers.
“I’ve been in government service for over a decade and it’s through my conversations with RCTQ that I saw the extent of the work required to elevate the quality of teachers. Through our various meetings and joint activities, RCTQ opened my eyes to see the need for interagency approach,” Sec. Nograles said. (Watch the video)
“Sec. Nograles’ leadership of the TWG-TQ facilitated the participation of various agencies who came together for a meaningful dialogue towards improving teacher quality,” said RCTQ Director Dr. Gina Gonong. “He’s a leader in a true sense.”
Prof. John Pegg, RCTQ Co-Director from the SiMERR National Research Centre of the University of New England Australia, said: “Atty. Nograles’ abilities and insights have placed the RCTQ in a unique position to help bring about significant and long-term change to education for the entire country.”
Philippine Normal University (PNU) President Dr. Bert J. Tuga also congratulated Atty. Nograles, thanking him for being a great advocate for quality education and teacher quality.
As CSC chair, Dr. Gonong said Atty. Nograles is “well equipped to lead significant reforms in improving the quality of public service in the Philippines.”
Congratulations on your new role, Chair Nograles!
Then Cabinet Secretary Nograles with SiMERR Director/RCTQ Co-Director Prof. John Pegg, RCTQ Director Dr. Gina Gonong and former RCTQ Deputy Director Dr Jennie Jocson during the Celebrating RCTQ partnerships gala event on 29 August 2019.
