RITQ joins Senate TWG to refine proposed teacher career progression law
TWG meeting on legislative measures on the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers.
RITQ participated in a meeting of the Senate technical working group (TWG) on career progression, which aimed to discuss and refine a proposed legislation that would institutionalize a career progression system for public school teachers.
The meeting, held on 28 October 2024, was organized by the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization, and Professional Regulation – Subcommittee on Career Progression for Public School Teachers, in partnership with the Committee on Basic Education and the Committee on Finance.
Representing RITQ were senior program managers Dr. Allan Reyes and Dr. Ali Anudin, who contributed insights in the discussions of Senate Bill No. 2827 authored by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian). Also discussed were other versions of the legislation sponsored by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Loren Legarda, and the House of Representatives.
“The intention is to improve the morale of our teachers, our frontliners in education, and by improving their morale, we can anticipate improvement in learner outcomes,” said Sen. Gatchalian, chairperson of the subcommittee, in his published statement. He highlighted the need to define a clear career path that supports teachers in skill development and provides opportunities for growth, ultimately empowering them to assume leadership roles within the education system.
The bills propose the creation of new teaching titles—Teacher IV, Teacher V, Teacher VI, Teacher VII, and Master Teacher V—by authorizing the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to officially include these positions in the Index of Occupational Services, Occupational Groups, Classes, and Salary Grades. Additionally, the proposals aim to equalize salaries, benefits, and privileges across the Teaching Career Line, School Administration Career Line, and Supervision Career Line, offering diverse career options for educators.
Under the proposed system, the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) would develop a specialized remedial program for teachers who do not meet the standards-based Assessment requirements after two consecutive evaluations. Another significant component of the bill is the adjustment of the minimum salary grade for public school teachers under the Department of Education (DepEd), raising it from Salary Grade 11 to Salary Grade 13, with corresponding increases for higher-ranked positions.
RITQ had provided technical assistance to the DepEd Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development (BHROD) from the crafting of the said system in 2021 until the signing of Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022 by President Rodrigo Duterte on 23 June 2022. RITQ worked with the BHROD in defining career paths for teachers, and in crafting the reclassification policy based on the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST).
The purpose of filing a national law to institutionalize the expanded system, even with EO 174 in place, is to secure a more permanent, legally binding framework that transcends changes in administration or leadership within DepEd (RITQ Communications).
https://www.ritq.ph/?p=5895NewsCareer Progression
