THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
-~ 
Introduced by Senator LUISA “LOI” P. EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 17 provides: 
“The State shall give priority to education, science and 
technology, arts, culture and sports to foster patriotism and 
nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human 
liberation and development.” 
The quality of education depends primarily on the quality of our teachers. 
Hence, the government must expend efforts to encourage talented individuals 
interested in teaching to maintain their interest. This can be done by raising the status of 
the teaching profession, through increased recognition and professional opportunities for 
teachers, so that the best teachers remain in the classroom and talented individuals are 
attracted to teaching. 
The purpose of this Act is to estabIish a teacher corps program to strengthen the 
teaching profession. 
In consideration of the foregoing, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly 
solicited. 
LUISA “LOP” $‘. EJERCITO ESTRADA 
Senator 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHlLPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
F’! 
S. B. No. e 
Introduced by Senator LUISA “LOI” P. EJERCITQ ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A 
TEACHER 
CORPS PROGRAM IN ORDER 
TO 
STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING PROFESSION 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representutives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National Teachers Act.” 
Section 2 Teacher corps programs authorized - 
(a) 
Program Authorized - The Commission on Higher Education, hereinafter 
referred to as “the Commission” shall make grants in accordance with the 
provisions of this title, to State colleges and universities to conduct 
Teacher Corps activities; 
Designation - A scholarship awarded under this Act shall be referred to 
as a “Teacher Corps scholarship” 
A recipient of a scholarship under this Act shall be referred to as a 
“Teacher Corps member.” 
(b) 
(c) 
Seciion 3 
’ Use offunds. - 
(A)The Commission on Higher Education shall use hnds provided pursuant to 
this Act to : 
(1) disseminate information nationally about the availability of scholarships; 
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(2) conduct activities which foster communication among and bring together 
members of the Teacher Corps including activities such as written 
communications, meetings or training sessions. 
(3) provide technical assistance to education institutions in establishing and 
operating Teacher Corps programs; 
(4) provide guidelines in the evaluation of applications for Teacher Corps 
membership and award scholarships to Teacher Corps members; 
(5) make Teacher Corps awards to individuals in training to become a school 
psychologist, school social worker, or a school counselor; 
(6) ensure that Teacher Corps members understand the obligation to repay 
such scholarships upon failure to comply with the conditions of the 
scholarship; 
(7) assist in employment placement of Teacher Corps members; and 
(8) establish, operate, and expand programs for new Teacher Corps members 
and other new teachers, including - 
(a) orientation; 
(b) using mentor teachers to work with new teachers; 
(e) curriculum guidance; and 
(d) increasing the preparedness of all classroom teachers for the 
participation of particular populations of students, such as 
disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and students from 
diverse cultural backgrounds, in the classrooms of such teachers. 
(B) Priority. - In carrying out the provisions of subsection (a)( l), the Commission 
shall give priority in awarding grants to State colleges and universities with 
the greatest proportion of disadvantaged students. 
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Section 4. Teacher COTS. - 
(a) Selection - The respective state colleges and universities, in cooperation with 
the Commissioner on Higher Education, shall select teacher Corps members 
(b) Criteria - The Commission shall establish criteria to select Teacher Corps 
members, intended to attract highly qualified individuals to teaching, and to 
meet the needs of the country in addressing teacher shortages, including - 
(1) in the case of students or recent graduates, strong academic promise, or in 
other cases contributions which can be made by individuals working in 
other careers; and 
(2) a demonstrated interest in teaching, or skill or professional experience in 
substantive fields of expertise in which the country is experiencing teacher 
shortages. 
(c) Special consideration - The Commission, shall give special consideration in 
the seIection of teacher Corps members to individuals who - (1) intend to 
teach or provide related services to students with disabilities; (2) intend to 
teach preschool age children 
(d) Priority consideration. - The Commission shall give priority consideration in 
the selection of Teacher Corps members to individuals fiom disadvantaged 
backgrounds, including minorities and individuals with disabilities who are 
underrepresented in the teaching profession or in the curricular areas in which 
they are preparing to teach. 
Section 5. 
State AppZication. - Each State college or university desiring a 
grant under this Act shall submit an application to the Commission at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Commission may reasonably require. 
Each application shall describe teacher shortages in the region including shortages in 
specific substantive fields of expertise and geographic areas, and shall describe steps to 
be taken to place Teacher Corps members in areas experiencing teacher shortages. 
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Section 6. Scholarships. - 
(A) Eligibility. - 
(1) An individual is eligible to receive Teacher Corps scholarship for a 
maximum of four (4) years during enrollment in any program of study 
leading to a baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate degree; 
(2) An individual pursuing a program of study leading to a post baccalaureate 
degree is eligible to receive a Teacher Corps scholarship during any of the 
first 4 years that such individual is employed as a teacher to defray the 
costs of pursuing such post-baccalaureate instruction; 
(3) An individual in possession of a bachelor's degree, who wishes to enter 
teaching from another profession, is eligible to receive a Teachers Corp 
scholarship to enable such individual to receive the instruction necessary 
to' enter the teaching profession, as determined by the state college or 
university in which the individual wishes to teach. Such instruction may 
be provided while the individual is employed as a provisional teacher, at 
the discretion of such State college or university. 
(B) Limitations on Amount and Duration. - Subject to subsection (c), each teacher 
Corps member shall receive a P25,OOO.OO scholarship for each academic year 
of post-secondary education, except that no individual shall receive 
scholarship assistance for more than four (4) years of post-secondary 
education (including post-baccalaureate), as determined by the Secretary. 
(C)Continued Eligibility. - Each individual who receives a Teacher Corps 
scholarship shall continue to receive such scholarship payments only during 
such periods that the state college or university finds that such individual is - 
(1) 
enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited post-secondary 
institution; and 
maintaining satisfactory progress as defined by such State college 
or university. 
(2) 
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Section 7. Scholarship Conditions. - (1) Scholarship Agreement. - Each 
individual receiving a scholarship under this Act shall enter into a written agreement with 
the State college or university in which such individual is enrolled, which shall provide 
assurances that each such individual - 
will pursue a course of study which meets requirements for teacher 
preparation; 
will maintain satisfactory academic progress and participate in teaching- 
related activities while in undergraduate or post baccalaureate programs; 
will work as a teacher upon completion of such individual’s education for 
five (5) years in public educational institutions; 
will repay all or part of a Teacher Corps scholarship received, plus interest 
and , if applicable, reasonable collection fees, in the event that the 
conditions of this section are not complied with; and 
will participate in an induction program for new teachers during the fifih 
year of employment, by serving as a mentor to new Teacher Corps 
members, or to other new teachers, or by making some other contribution 
to the induction program. 
(2) Scholarship Repayment. - Individuals found to be in non-compliance with the 
agreement entered into under the preceding section shall be required to repay 
to the State college or university from which such individual graduated a pro 
rata amount of the scholarship awards received, plus interest and where 
applicable, reasonable collection fees. 
(3) Each individual found by the State to be in non-compliance with the 
agreement entered into under the preceding section shall be required to repay 
- 
(a) 100 percent of the total amount of scholarships awarded under this Act if 
such individual does not teach pursuant to the agreement described in the 
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preceding section or teaches pursuant to such agreement for less than one 
(1) year; 
(b) 90 percent of the total amount of scholarships awarded under this Act if 
such individual teaches pursuant to such agreement for at least one (1) 
year but less than two (2) years; 
(c) 80 percent of the total amount of scholarships awarded under this Act if 
such individual teaches pursuant to such agreement for at least two (2) 
years but less than three (3) years; 
(d) 60 percent of the total amount of scholarships awarded under this Act if 
such individual teaches pursuant to such agreement for at least three (3) 
years but less than four (4) years; and 
(e) 30 percent of the total amount of scholarships awarded under this Act if 
such individual teaches pursuant to such agreement for at least four (4) 
years but less than five (5) years. 
(4) If a portion of a scholarship is repaid under this subsection in any year, the 
entire amount of interest on such portion of such scholarship which accrues 
for such year shall be repaid; 
(5) Any repayments of scholarships made to the appropriate State college or 
university pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be used by such 
institutions to award additional scholarships in accordance with the provisions 
of this Act; 
(6) Waiver. - The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports may provide for 
the partial or total waiver or suspension of any service obligation or 
repayment by an individual who received a Teacher Corps scholarship 
whenever compliance by such individual is impossible or would involve 
extreme hardship to such individual, or if enforcement of such obligation with 
respect to such individual would be unconscionable. 
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Section 8. Publication and Recruitment. - The Commission shall publicize the 
availability of, and procedure to apply for, Teacher Corps scholarships, particularly 
among students participating in teaching-related activities through summer teaching 
institutes, future teachers clubs, and other teaching-related activities, at institutions of 
higher education throughout the country. 
Section 9. Authoriwtion of Appropriations. - The amount necessary to 
effectively implement the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated 
from the National Treasury. 
Section 10. 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 11. 
Repealing Clause - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to 
or inconsistent with the provision of this act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
accordingly. 
Section 12. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
G WgeendishYl539-teachers act 
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