The Department of Education (DepEd) has issued today a statement addressing speculations regarding delays in appointments for the Teacher Education Council (TEC) Secretariat which is responsible for establishing and enforcing basic requirements for teachers’ education programs.

It said that Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte, as chairperson, has led numerous TEC meetings on the creation, selection process and appointment of qualified individuals for the Council Secretariat.

Technical sessions with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) were also conducted to refine the organizational structure and staffing pattern (OSSP) of the TEC Secretariat.

As a result, the proposed OSSP was submitted to the DBM on March 25, 2024 and subsequently approved on May 21, 2024. On June 11, 2024, DepEd received the physical copy of the DBM’s Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action (NOSCA), giving DepEd the greenlight to start its appointment process. 

“Contrary to the baseless insinuations made by a certain ‘advocacy group,’ DepEd understands the importance of these appointments for the TEC’s functionality and the broader goal of enhancing teacher education and training, in as much as we also understand the need to abide by the proper processes in relation to the creation of new plantilla items in government,” the agency’s statement further read. 

The DepEd issued the statement on the same day that news reports cited the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) for urging Duterte “to promptly” fill in positions to the TEC. 

PBEd pointed out that it has been two years since the enactment of Republic Act No. 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act became law. The law established the TEC. 

“The enhancements proposed in the law have not been fully realized because officials have yet to be appointed to start the necessary work,” PBED Executive Director Justine Raagas was quoted as saying in a BusinessMirror report.