Licensure Exams

"The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board for Professional Teachers (BPT) announces that 10,243 elementary teachers out of 45,171 examinees (22.68%), 6 Accelerated Teacher Education Program (A.T.E.P.) graduates out of 216 examinees (2.78%) and 13,125 secondary teachers out of 41,729 examinees (31.45%) successfully passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (L.E.T) given last September 25, 2011 in 18 testing centers all over the Philippines."


source: http://www.prc.gov.ph/news/?id=217


Another year, another set of examinees, another set of licensed educators (on the slim side), another set of failed hopes and shattered dreams (on the other)...


This year's grim LET result is not new. Last year (September 2010). the national passing rate was also below 50%: 19.58% for the Elementary; 7.21% for ATEP; and 25.86% for the Secondary. That same year (April 2010), there were only 15.44% passing rate for the Elementary; 3.67% for the ATEP, and 23.32% for the Secondary.


While there is an obvious increase in the percentage of passers in the Elementary and Secondary levels, the percentage of passers in the ATEP fell sharply. I can't help but I ask myself, "6 out of 216??!!"


Spell TRAGEDY.


For almost 3 years now, I have been monitoring the results of LET, and I have always wondered as to the reasons behind the unacceptable results. Of course, one can point his or her finger to everyone: to the Teacher Training Institutions, to the professors, to the students, and even to PRC itself. However, this unfortunate event has a lot of possible roots. Various questions may arise, such as: 


1. What kind of graduates have we been producing?
2. What kind of students do we have these days? What are their priorities and what motivates (or de-motivates) them?
3. Who teaches (mentors) our teachers? Are they qualified? Do they know how to teach?
4. How do TEIs implement the curriculum for Education majors?
5. What kind of support does the government provide to Teacher Education Institutions?
6. Is there something wrong with the NCBTS (National Competency Based Teacher Standards)?
7. Where does PRC get its questions? Do they validate it? If so, does that mean that the Board Exam itself is not valid?
8. What actions or steps does (did or will) the PRC undertake?


The list of questions may go on, and the list of answers may grow more ambiguous. But one thing is for sure, if this trend continues, we will have a shortage of public school teachers and a surplus of teachers who will be employed by "small" schools (which, most often than not, thinks of profits rather than education itself, sadly).


That's IF they will still have the motivation to teach... Worst case scenario is a disheartened education graduate who would turn to other (odd) jobs local or abroad, instead of trying it out again and stay in the teaching profession. Underemployment looms. 


I can't help but ask (again): How much advertisement (or encouragement) do we give to our youth? How much appreciation do we give to our teachers (both the "good" ones and the "not-so-good ones")? Do we encourage them to stay and teach (anyway, they will hopefully develop their teaching skills or attitudes)? Or do we push them away because we don't "like" them? Or because they did something "wrong"?


I know the problems. I even know the ill effects of this to the quality of education that our country will have in the next few years. But I admit that I do not know the answers. 


I may have some solutions in mind, but who cares?