REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

House Bill No._ 8495,

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article 2 Section 17 of the Constitution states:

“SEC. 17. The State shall give priority to education, science, and technology, arts,
culture, and sports to foster patriotism nationalism, accelerate social progress and promote
total human liberation and development.”

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 thrive 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 areas, 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 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

This bill was previously filed in the 15" Congress by former Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnest

ary {7 Alejano



© eI AnWEENnH

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

House Bitl No, 8495

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

AN ACT
TO ESTABLISH A 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.”

SEC. 2. Definition —For the purposes of this Act:

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, impairments requiring the use of an artificial device to move,
walk, see, hear or breathe, such as 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.

b. Department means the Department of Education
. Seeretary means the Secretary of Education

SEC. 3. Grant—The Secretary shall carry out a 5-year pilot program under which the
Secretary award grants, on a competitive basis, to not more than ten (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 teach, for at least three (3) academic years in such
institutions.


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SEC. 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.

SEC. 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 this section, 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.

. 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.

SEC. 6. Application.—A province that desires to receive a grant under this section shall
submit an application to the Secretary 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 and local educational agencies within the

province.

SEC. 7. Use of Funds—Grant funds under this section shall be used to provide salary
bonuses for highly qualified teachers or highly qualified special education teachers who teach, or
‘commit to teach, for at least three (3) academic years, in an elementary school or secondary school
served by the same rural local educational agency,

SEC. 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.

SEC. 9. Report—

a. Annual Reports from Provinces—Each province receiving a grant under this

‘Act shall submit an annual report to the Secretary regarding each 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.


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b. Report to Congress.—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 five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act.

1, the number of rural local educational agencies assisted under this Act;

2. the characteristics of such rural local educational agencies with respect to
the considerations of needs described in section (5\(c);

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

5. such other information and analysis as the Secretary determines necessary
to evaluate the projects.

SEC. 10. Appropriations. —The 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 shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act as a distinct and
separate item.

SEC. 11. Repealing Clause —All laws, decrees, executive orders or parts thereof inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 12. Separability Clause.—If any part or provision of this Act is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the other parts not otherwise affected shall remain in full effect and force.

SEC. 13. Effectivity.—This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved,