Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo has sought to double to P1.5 billion the annual funding for the in-service skills retooling of public school teachers to reinforce their competencies to deliver lessons in English, mathematics, and science.
“In the national budget, Congress has been allocating only an average P746 million per year for the in-service training of our teachers. We should at least double that amount to P1.5 billion every year starting in 2024,” he said.
“Our teachers deserve more support in terms of continuing professional development courses and other interventions so that they can improve their abilities to teach English, math, and science more effectively,” he added.
The Department of Education has partnered with public and private institutions to implement the in-service training programs to upgrade the expertise of teachers.
These partners included the University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, and the Development Academy of the Philippines.
“If necessary, the DepEd should also enlist the help of educators from the best private K-12 schools to help in the training courses,” Rillo said.
The House committee on basic education and culture earlier endorsed for approval House Bill No. 238, which proposes, among others, to create a Teacher Education and Training Committee to boost recruitment and training.
The committee shall establish the minimum criteria for hiring and evaluating new and current teachers.