Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS.

First Regular Session

House Bill No, 3257

Introduced by Hon, Sol Aragones

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Brain drain is a common phenomenon over the last several decades. It involves many
of our teachers who go abroad to seek greener pastures. As a result, we continue to lose
teachers in our schools and unnecessarily increase the burden of teaching the ever growing

number of our students to the teachers that actually stay. However, this phenomenon does not

only occur from our country to overseas. It is also happening from our rural schools to urban
cities. Substandard facilities and even more substandard communities make for additional

burdens to our teachers who teach in rural areas.

Many of our teachers find it really hard to realistically make a career teaching in these

communities much less thri

in them. As such there is little incentive for the highly qualified
teachers to go and stay in rural schools. As legislators, we must acknowledge the higher level
of challenge presented in those areas and provide better incentives to highly qualified

teachers. It is not only our duty to provide education to our children in those are:

. but also to
provide high quality education, that they may be able to develop into good citizens that will

help their communities and our country.

Initially, we need to establish an incentive program that will entice our highly

qualified teachers to stay. A competitive program of grants to qualified provinces will not

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only motivate the provinces to develop their programs for the rural community but likewise
allow us to focus the limited resources to the provinces that is in the position to make use of
the funds best.

This bill seeks to establish a program that will provide financial assistance to qualified

provinces in order to create an incentive system for highly qualified teachers who shall

‘commit to stay and teach for at least three years.

ong
IN. SOL ARAGONES



eyes

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill No.

Introduced by He

Aragones

AN ACT
CREATING COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAMS TO
RETAIN HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES,

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 “Rural Teacher Retention.

Act of 2013."

SECTION 2. Definition. — The purpose of this Act the term

A. “Child with a disability

means a minor who has a physical, mental or medical
impairment resulting from anatomical, physiological, or neurological
conditions that prevent the exercise of a normal bodily function or that

substantially impair cognitive function, and include but is not limited to,

cial device to move, walk, see, hear

impairments requiring the use of an arti
or breathe, such as a wheelchair, braces, crutches, respirator, or other
supportive equipment, or use of a guide dog or other guiding device, and
which renders such person incapable of adequately providing for his or her

‘own health and personal care.


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B. “Department” means the Department of Education

C. “Secretary” means the Secretary of Education

CTION 3. Grant — The Secretary shall carry out a 5-year pilot program under

which the Secretary awards grants, on a competitive basis, to not more than 10 different
provinces, to enable them to award salary bonuses to highly qualified teachers or highly

qualified special education teachers who teach. or commit to teac!

for at least 3 academic

years in such institution.

SECTION 4. Basis. ~ The Secretary shall award grants under this section on the basis
of the needs of rural local educational agencies within a province for recruiting and retaining

highly qualified teachers or highly qualified special education teachers.

SECTION 5. Consideration of Needs. — In determining the needs of rural local
educational agencies for recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers and highly
qualified special education teachers under Section 5, the Secretary shall consider 1 or more of

the following:

A. The impact on a rural local educational agency of low-income students who are

served by the rural local educational agency.

B. The impact on a rural local educational agency of children with a disability who

are served by the rural local educational agency.

C. The long-term plans of a province to improve the recruitment and retention of

highly qualified teachers and highly qualified special education teachers in rural

local educational agencies within the province.


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SECTION 6. Application. — A province that desires to receive a grant under this

section shall submit an application to the $

‘eretary at such time, in such manner, and

accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. The application shall contain
a plan for the proposed distribution and use of the grant funds among rural local educational

agencies within the province

SEt

TION 7. Use of Funds. — Grant funds under this section shall be used to provide

salary bonuses for highly qualified teachers or highly quali special education teachers
who teach, or commit to teach, for at least 3 academic years, in an elementary school or

secondary school served by the same rural local educational agency

SECTION 8. Study. — The Secretary shall carry out a study of each project that is
funded under this Act. The study shall track and assess the implementation and effectiveness

of each project.

SECTION 9. Report. =
‘A. ANNUAL REPORTS FROM PROVINCES- Each province receiving a grant
under this Act shall submit an annual report to the Secretary regarding cach
project within the State that is funded under this Act. The report shall contain such

information as the Secretary determines necessary to evaluate the project.

B. REPORT TO CONGRE: The Secretary shall submit a report on the study

described in Section 8 to the appropriate committees in the Senate and in the

House of Representatives within 5 years from the effectivity of this Act.

1, the number of rural local educational agencies assisted under this A
2. the characteristics of such rural local educational agencies with respect to

the considerations of needs described in section 4(c);


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3. the number and demographic characteristics of teachers receiving bonuses
under this Act;

4. the impact of the bonuses provided under this Act on the ability of rural
local educational agencies assisted under this Act to recruit and retain
highly qualified teachers and highly qualified special education teachers;

and

such other information and analysis as the Secretary determines necessary

to evaluate the projects.

SECTION 10. Appropriations. “he amount necessary for the initial implementation
of this Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the Department of Education under
the current General Appropriations Act. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for its full

implementation shall be included in the

nnual General Appropriations Act as a distinet and

separate item.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is
inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended

accordingly.

SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. ~ This Act shall take effect fifieen (15) days after

its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,