The Department of Education (DepEd) convened the Teacher Education Council (TEC) and its partner institutions to discuss essential points to upgrade the pre-service teacher education curriculum and improve student learning outcomes.

“These esteemed institutions will aid us in fulfilling our mandates. We need your expertise in developing innovative solutions. Most importantly, we need your dedication to producing quality teachers who will inspire lifelong learners,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.

The DepEd aimed to reframe the pre-service teacher curriculum, focusing on building education system resilience, addressing critical areas, and emphasizing evidence-based practices informed by national and international assessments.

Moreover, DepEd, through the TEC, inked an agreement with the Philippine Normal University to bolster the Research Initiatives in Teacher Education Program, aiming to advance education policies and enhance the quality and equity of teacher education.

“This program contains 13 priority research projects that aim to produce a profile of teacher education institutions; an upskilling program; differentiated curricula; and other new programs and mechanisms,” Angara said.

The RITE Program, funded by TEC and executed by PNU, is designed to produce insights to be used as groundwork for pre-service and in-service teacher policy directions and recommendations.

Furthermore, the TEC also extended the designation of Center of Excellence for teacher education to 34 universities nationwide for another year.