FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —)
First Regular Session ) 2

SENATE
sp_1201 &

Introduced by Senator Manny Villar

EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Constitution, Article 14, Section 1 provides that:

“Section 1. That State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to
quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such
education accessible to all.”

As our nation progresses further into globalization, we have continuously been
challenged to improve ours kills. Our students, instéad of rising to the challenge, seem
to be left behind, as evidenced by the poor national achievement test scores. As we
take on the great information superhighway, or the Internet we need to develop not only
our skill to read, but also our skill to write in order to better communicate with the rest of
the world.

Good writing skills are essential to employment, both locally and internationally
Furthermore, it is also important in the performance of civic duty and participation in the
national development.

The Department of Education, for all their effort, at times has struggled to
increase the quality of education due to lack of personnel and expertise. However, the
Philippines have been blessed with numerous non-profit organizations that aim to
develop the writing skills of our youth.

This bill seeks to encourage the cooperation between the government and the
private sector in developing a program that will develop the writing skills of the youth

MANNY VILLAR


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES —_)
First Regular Session ) . 5

SENATE

sB_1201 I

Introduced by Senator Manny Villar

AN ACT
TO CREATE A NATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "National Writing
Program Act of 2010.”

SEC. 2. Purposes. — This Act aims —

A

To support and promote the expansion of a network of sites so that teachers
in every region of the country will have access to a national writing program;

To ensure the consistent high quality of the sites through ongoing review,
evaluation, and technical assistance;

. To support and promote the establishment of programs to disseminate

effective practices and research findings about the teaching of writing; and

. To coordinate activities assisted under this subpart with activities assisted

under this Act.

SEC. 3. Authorization. - The Secretary of Education, hereafter referred to as
“Secretary,” is authorized to award a grant to a nonprofit educational organization that
has as its primary purpose the improvement of the quality of student writing and
learning hereafter referred to as the “Grantee,” to improve the teaching of writing and
the use of writing as a part of the learning process in our country’s classrooms.

SEC. 4. Grant Requirements. — The grant shall provide that—

A.

The Grantee will enter into contracts with institutions of higher education or
other nonprofit educational providers, hereafter in this section referred to as
“Contractors,” under which the contractors will agree to establish, operate,
and provide the non-government share of the cost of teacher training
programs in effective approaches and processes for the teaching of writing;

. Funds made available by the Secretary to the Grantee pursuant to any

contract entered into under this section will be used to pay the government


share of the cost of establishing and operating teacher training programs as
provided in this Act; and

C. The Grantee will meet such other conditions and standards as the Secretary
determines to be necessary to assure compliance with the provisions of this
Act and will provide such technical assistance as may be necessary to carry
out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 5. Teacher Training Program. - The teacher training programs described
in the previous section shall:

A. Be conducted during the school year and during the summer months;
B. Train teachers who teach from grades kindergarten through college;

C. Select teachers to become members of a writing project teacher network
whose members will conduct writing workshops for other teachers in the area
served by each writing project site; and

D. Encourage teachers from alt disciplines to participate in such teacher training
programs.

SEC. 6. Government Share. — Except as provided in paragraph A or B, the
term “government share” means 50 percent of such costs to the contractor.

A. WAIVER — The Secretary may waive the provisions of this section on a case-
by-case basis if the National Advisory Board described in Section 7
determines, on the basis of financial need, that such waiver is necessary.

B, MAXIMUM — The National Advisory Board shall determine the maximum
amount of the government share of the costs of teacher training programs
conducted pursuant to this Act.

SEC. 7. National Advisory Board. — The National Writing Project shall
establish and operate a National Advisory Board.

A. COMPOSITION - The National Advisory Board shall consist of —

1. national educational leaders;
2. leaders in the field of writing; and
3. such other individuals as the Grantee deems necessary

B, DUTIES — The National Advisory Board established pursuant to this section
‘shall —

1. advise the Grantee on national issues related to student writing and the
teaching of writing;

2. review the activities and programs of the Grantee; and

3. support the continued development of the Grantee.

SEC. 8, Evaluation. ~ The Secretary shall conduct an independent evaluation by
grant or contract of the teacher training programs administered pursuant to this subpart.
Such evaluation shall specify the amount of funds expended by the Grantee and each


contractor receiving assistance under this section for administrative costs. The results of
‘such evaluation shall be made available to the appropriate committees of Congress.

SEC. 9. Application Review. —

A. REVIEW BOARD — The Grantee shall establish and operate a National
Review Board that shall consist of —

1. leaders in the field of research in writing; and
2. such other individuals as the Grantee determines necessary.

B. The National Review Board shall —

1. review all applicants for assistance under this subsection; and
2. recommend applications for assistance under this subsection for funding
by the Grantee.

SEC. 10. Appropriations. - To carty out the provisions of this Act, such
amount as hereby necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National
Treasury.

SEC. 11. Separability Clause. — if any provision or part hereof, is held invalid
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 12, Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
Publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,