Undersecretary Gina Gonong with members of Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN) and officials of the Philippine Normal University. Photo by PNU

Former RCTQ Director and current Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary for Curriculum and Teaching Dr. Gina Gonong delivered a message before leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN) who held their 15th meeting in Manila on 10-12 May 2023.  She shared the country’s initiatives in strengthening teacher education including education policies shaped by RCTQ’s work.

Dr. Gonong acknowledged how the association, represented by presidents of ten member institutions of AsTEN, “has positioned itself at the forefront of teacher education in the Southeast Asian region” by having been recognized as an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-affiliated entity under the Think Tanks and Academic Institutions category.

“More than ever, AsTEN’s goal to address issues, challenges, and concerns relevant to teacher education programs, practices, and policies in the ASEAN Region, and to serve as a vehicle for key international collaborative endeavors within and across member institutions, must be made manifest and realized to ultimately benefit the ASEAN nations and peoples,” Usec. Gonong said.

She said the Philippine Normal University (PNU), AsTEN’s only member from the Philippines, and DepEd will continue to work together with AsTEN institutions to “successfully traverse the unexplored terrain of new normal quality education.”

Usec. Gonong is presented a token of appreciation by PNU President Dr. Bert J. Tuga and AsTEN Chairperson Dr. Pattamavadi Lehmongkol of Kasetsart University (Thailand). Photo by PNU

“As the Founding Chair and Permanent Secretariat of AsTEN, PNU is one with the country’s Department of Education in ensuring that learning recovery is prioritized and the remaining barriers to quality are addressed as a holistic challenge that extends beyond mere classroom experience loss or mediocre learning outcomes,” the former RCTQ leader said.

Part of addressing these barriers to education quality, she said, was how PNU and RCTQ worked with DepEd and the Philippine Congress in passing Republic Act 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act which former President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law in April 2022.

“RA 11713 mandates the Teacher Education Council to develop teachers and school leaders who are of unquestionable integrity and competence, and who are committed to the pursuit of their continuing professional growth and obligation to help learners grow as responsible, competent and productive individuals and citizens of the Philippines and of the world” Usec. Gonong said. “In addition to this, the Council is mandated to establish a roadmap for teacher education which shall serve as guide for designing, delivering, monitoring, and evaluating relevant, responsive, innovative, creative, and collaborative program and policy development initiatives. It shall also uphold and maintain the integrity of professional standards for teachers and school leaders by formulating evidence-based policies and standards that shall strengthen and improve the system of teacher education.”

One of the most important provisions of RA 11713 that will really help teachers, Usec. Gonong added, is to establish policies to implement a system of recognition affirming the career stages achieved by teachers and school leaders based on professional standards “because the teacher is the key to effective teaching-learning processes.” RCTQ assisted DepEd in developing the Expanded Career Progression System for Public School Teachers which Pres. Duterte signed as Executive Order No. 174, series of 2022 on 23 June 2022.

Usec. Gonong also mentioned the MATATAG Agenda, DepEd’s reform campaign under the leadership of Vice President and Secretary Duterte “on which programs and projects of DepEd must all be anchored.”

Apart from PNU, the other AsTEN member institutions are the Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan (Brunei Darussalam); National Institute of Education (Cambodia); Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (Indonesia); National University of Laos (Laos PDR); Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Malaysia); Yangon University of Education (Myanmar); National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Kasetsart University (Thailand), and University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Vietnam). (RCTQ Comms)

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Former RCTQ Director and current Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary for Curriculum and Teaching Dr. Gina Gonong delivered a message before leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN) who held their 15th meeting in Manila on 10-12 May 2023.  She shared the country's initiatives in...