FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 2 4 6 7 
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INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article 2 Section 17 ofthe Constitution provides that, "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 bill is to establish a teacher corps program to strengthen the 
teaching profession. 
Immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
Y EJERCITO ESTRADA 
Senator 
r.:; 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
·0 
flUG 31 
P6 :uO 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 2 4 67 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
= 
ESTABLISHING 
A 
TEACHER 
CORPS 
PROGRAM 
IN 
ORDER 
TO 
STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING PROFESSION 
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 Teachers' 
Act." 
SEC 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 Act, to state colleges and universities (SCUs) to 
conduct Teacher Corps activities; 
(b) 
Designation - a scholarship awarded under this Act shall be referred to 
as a "Teacher Corps scholarship"; 
(c) 
A recipient of a scholarship under this Act shall be referred to as a 
"Teacher Corps member". 
SEC 3. Use of Funds. - The Commission on Higher Education shall use funds 
provided pursuant to this Act to: 
(1) disseminate information nationally about the availability of scholarships; 
(2) conduct activities which foster communication among and bring together 
members of the Teacher Corps including activities such as written 
communications, meetings or training session; 
(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; 
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(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 the 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; 
c. 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. 
In carrying out the provisions of subsection (a)(1), the Commission shall give 
priority in awarding grants to state colleges and universities with the greatest 
proportion of disadvantaged students. 
SEC 4. Teacher Corps. -
(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 selection 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 from 
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. 
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SEC 5. 
State Application. - 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 
member in areas experiencing teacher shortages. 
SEC 6. Scholarship.-
(A) 
Eligibility -
(B) 
(C) 
(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 four (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 
teacher from another profession, is eligible to receive a Teachers Corps 
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 of university. 
Limitations on Amount and Duration - Subject to subsection (c), each 
Teacher Corps member shall receive a Twenty Five Thousand Pesos 
(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 Commissioner of the Commission 
on Higher Education. 
Continued Eligibility - a 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, 
(2) 
maintaining satisfactory progress as defined by such state college 
or university. 
• 
SEC 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 where such individual is enrolled, which shall provide 
assurances that each such individual will: 
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a. pursue a course of study which meets requirements for teacher 
preparation; 
b. maintain satisfactory academic progress and 
participate in 
teaching-related activities while in undergraduate or 
post-
baccalaureate programs; 
c. work as a teacher upon completion of such individual's education 
for five (5) years in public educational institutions; 
d. 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, 
e. will participate in an induction program for new teachers during the 
fifth (5th) 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. one hundred percent (100%) of the total amount of scholarships 
awarded under this Act if such individual does not teach pursuant to 
the agreement described in the preceding section or teaches 
pursuant to such agreement for less than one (1) year; 
b. ninety percent (90%) of the total amount of scholarship awarded 
under this Act if such individual teaches pursuant to such 
agreement for at least one (1) year but not less than two (2) years; 
c. eighty percent (80%) 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. sixty percent (60%) 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. thirty percent (30%) 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 scholarship made to the appropriate state college or 
university pursuant to the proVisions of this Section shall be used by such 
4 


institutions to award additional scholarships in accordance with the 
provisions of this Act; 
, 
(6) Waiver - The Secretary of Education 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. 
SEC 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 teaching clubs, and other teaching-related 
activities, at institutions of higher education throughout the country. 
SEC 9. Authorization of Appropriations. - The amount necessary to effectively 
implement the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated from 
the National Treasury. 
SEC 10. 
Repealing Clause. -
Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified or amended accordingly. 
SEC 11. 
Separability Clause. -
Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified, or amended accordingly. 
SEC 12. 
Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
5