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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
3rd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative ERIC GO YAP 
AN ACT IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY THROUGH THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF A TEACHER EDUCATION FOR ACHIEVERS 
PROGRAM, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
At present time, when education is driven to be digitalized to avoid the further 
spread and mutation of the Coronavirus, pressure is mostly put unto teachers. They 
are contrived into becoming more effective communicators as much as they are 
educators. The importance of having quality teachers can be realized now, more than 
ever. Teachers of this generation will be decisive of the nation’s future, especially now 
that they are teaching while being limited to the bounds of computer screens.  
Article XIV, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that the State 
shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will 
attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate 
remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment. Now is the perfect 
time to address the effects of brain drain; it is the best opportunity to shed light and 
properly address the gap that exists between private and public education in terms of 
being able to employ quality educators. Extensively, it is now that the country should 
focus most in being able to produce the best teachers who can perform their duties 
well even while under unforeseen difficulties, such as the sudden disruption of face-
to-face classes.  
August 3, 2021
3:07 pm
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It is under the circumstances we are experiencing today when one can realize 
how necessary it is for teachers to not only be well-trained, but to be the best in their 
profession. No shortcuts can be made into producing the cream of the crop, therefore 
it is but right that a Teacher Education for Achievers Program be established. Posts 
about inappropriate cultural teachings, unacceptable grammar, and wrong 
computation examples in modules, tests, and exams often circulate online.  
Education is the backbone of society, hence we must not expect to gain quality 
educators through 1-day or 3-day seminars as this approach is nothing but a band-aid 
solution that is temporary, ineffective, but also costly. Education is a constant and 
lifelong process that must be holistically honed so as not to be dull and outdated. It is 
in this regard that we must put importance in being able to produce the best of the 
best, in order to be prepared for the future, whatever it may be. 
In view of the foregoing, passage of the bill is earnestly sought. 
ERIC GO YAP 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
3rd Regular Session 
House Bill No. _________ 
Introduced by Representative ERIC GO YAP 
AN ACT 
IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A 
TEACHER EDUCATION FOR ACHIEVERS PROGRAM, APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
CHAPTER I 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Teacher Education 
for Achievers (TEACH) Act of 2021.” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State recognizes the invaluable role of 
teachers as agents of constructive social, economic, moral, intellectual, cultural and 
political change in school and the community, within the context of national policies. 
To this end, the State promotes and uplifts the image of teaching professionals as a 
source of national pride. It is likewise declared that in order to protect and promote 
the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, the State shall prioritize 
accessible and quality teacher education, learning and development, and placement 
and professionalization of teaching professionals.  
To implement this, the State shall provide scholarships to qualified applicants 
to enable them to pursue education and training in the areas of learning and education 
and to provide incentives for them to be teachers in the public primary and secondary 
school system, including TVET, SHS, SPED, wherever public interest may require.  
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CHAPTER II 
ESTABLISHING THE TEACHER EDUCATION FOR ACHIEVERS PROGRAM 
 
 
SEC. 3. Establishment of the Teacher Education for Achievers Program. – The 
Teacher Education for Achievers Program (the “TEACH Program”) is hereby 
established. The Program shall provide the quality pre-service teacher education to 
the best and brightest. It shall ensure that future teachers are classroom-ready and 
contributors to improved learning outcomes by providing the best training, full 
financial and psychosocial support, and employment assistance. 
 
 
SEC. 4. Approved Courses and Priority Programs. Recipients shall pursue 
degrees in teacher education in the partner Teacher Education Institution (“TEI”), as 
identified and approved by the Department of Education (the “DepEd”) as priority 
education degrees. For its initial implementation, the TEACH Program shall offer two 
tracks: (1) Certificate in Teaching Program (CTP) track – for those who are graduates 
of any bachelor’s degree except in Education; and (2) Undergraduate Level track – for 
incoming third year college students. Recipients may pursue the completion of the 
appropriate degree from any of the following: 
(a) Bachelor of Early Childhood Education; 
(b) Bachelor of Special Education; 
(c) Bachelor of Elementary Education; 
(d) Bachelor of Secondary Education (major in any of the following: English, 
Biology, Chemistry, General Science, Mathematics, or Physics); 
(e) Bachelor of Science in Chemistry for Teachers; 
(f) Bachelor of Science in Mathematics for Teachers; 
(g) Bachelor of Science in Physics for Teachers; 
(h) Bachelor of Science in Biology for Teachers; 
(i) Certificate in Teaching Program or its equivalent;  
(j) Similar degrees, as may be approved by the DepEd. 
 
 
SEC. 5. Qualifications. –The minimum qualifications that the applicants must 
possess to apply for the TEACH Program are:  
(a) Must be a Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines; 
(b) Must pass the qualifying examination system, comprised of the selection 
process and the aptitude test for teachers as well as the appropriate 
examination and assessment by the TEI;  
(c) Must have at least an 85% general weighted average or its equivalent in the 
degree that he or she is currently enrolled in or graduated from; 


 
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(d) Must not have service obligations under other programs in conflict with the 
TEACH Program obligations. 
 
 
The DepEd shall promulgate and periodically review the qualification criteria 
of applicants for the TEACH Program. 
 
CHAPTER III 
PROGRAM COMPONENTS, INCENTIVES AND RETURN OF SERVICE  
 
 
SEC. 6. Key Components of the Program. – The TEACH Program is designed 
and structured to provide holistic support for the grantees, whether it be physical, 
psychosocial and academic, to help them towards their career as future teachers. This 
includes the following: (1) scholarship package outlined in Section 7 hereof, (2) the 
provision of continuous mentorship and training and development to the TEACH 
Program grantees, based on their actual needs, (3) teaching position upon graduation, 
and (4) other incentives outlined in Section 10 hereof.  
 
 
The DepEd and CHED, through the Teacher Education Council, shall provide 
screening guidelines for highly competent faculty and professionals from the TEIs 
who will qualify and serve as mentors under this Program. 
 
 
SEC. 7. Scholarship Component of the TEACH Program. – TEACH Program 
grantees shall be eligible to receive the following: 
(a) Tuition, laboratory, miscellaneous and other related school fees,  
(b) Allowance for prescribed books, supplies, equipment; 
(c) Clothing or uniform allowance; 
(d) Transportation allowance or allowance for dormitory or boarding house 
accommodation, whichever is appropriate; 
(e) Graduation and related miscellaneous fees; 
(f) Relocation allowance, if applicable; 
(g) Professional Teachers board review fees and licensure fees: Provided, that 
the support shall only be limited to the first licensure examination of the 
scholar, taken within five years from graduation;  
(h) Annual 
medical 
and 
accident 
insurance, 
and 
related 
health 
reimbursements; and 
(i) Monthly living allowance. 
 


 
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DepEd shall be responsible for the proper implementation and disbursement 
of the monies arising from this Section. Guidelines on proper disbursement of funds 
shall be issued within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act.   
 
 
SEC. 8. Conditions for the Grant of Scholarship. – Scholars accepted to the 
TEACH Program must execute a service contract, subject to the following:  
(a) Commitment to immediately pursue his or her pre-service teacher 
education program and must finish the entire program within the 
prescribed time frame and subject to the retention policies of the TEI; 
Provided, that the scholar may be allowed, for valid and justifiable reasons, 
to file for a leave of absence for one (1) academic period; 
(b) Commitment to teach full-time in the public primary and secondary 
education system, where public interest requires;  
(c) Commitment to repay the amounts disbursed pursuant to the terms of their 
service contract, if the grantee drops out from the approved degree program 
where grantee is currently enrolled in; and 
(d) Commitment to all the other terms and conditions of the scholarship, as 
provided under this Act and as may be prescribed in the implementing 
rules and regulations. 
 
 
Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the service contract will 
result in the full repayment of the scholarship monies and penalties, as applicable, 
within an approved period.   
 
 
SEC. 9. Service Obligations. – As their Return of Service (“ROS”), the TEACH 
Program grantees shall teach full-time in the public primary and secondary education 
system, where public interest requires. The Program scholar’s ROS shall be at least 
three (3) years for each year of the scholarship or a fraction thereof, in a public school 
primary or secondary school, as may be approved by the DepEd; Provided, that the 
DepEd shall not consider practicum teaching as return service under this provision. 
These service obligations may be amended, subject to the service contract, as 
approved by the DepEd. 
 
 
SEC. 10.  Incentives. – Successful TEACH Program grantees are entitled to the 
following incentives:  
(a) Scholarships in identified TEIs for the approved courses and priority 
programs under Section 4 of this Act;  
(b) Pass the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) within five (5) years 
after their date of hiring; 


 
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(c) A teacher position in a public primary or secondary school with a starting 
salary grade equivalent to Teacher III; 
(d) Receipt of appropriate salaries and other benefits for services rendered 
under the mandatory job placement as ROS under Section 10 (c) of this Act; 
and 
(e) A one-time relocation allowance, should he/she be assigned in a place other 
than his/her permanent residence. 
(f) Continued teacher education and training through the scholarships granted 
under Republic Act No. 10533 or the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 
2013”. 
  
CHAPTER IV 
IMPLEMENTATION 
 
 
SEC. 11.  Program Recruitment Plan. – The DepEd and CHED, through the 
Teacher Education Council (“TEC”) created under Republic Act No. 7784, shall 
develop an annual implementation plan which will include a thorough teacher 
demand analysis and recruitment campaign to attract incoming undergraduate 
students and program shifters to the Program. 
 
 
SEC. 12. Selection of Eligible Teacher Education Institution. – TEACH 
Program grantees may only complete their approved course/program under Section 
4 of this Act through eligible partner TEIs. A public or private TEI may be eligible for 
partnership/coverage under this Program, subject to compliance with any of the 
following conditions: 
(a) must have its teacher education program accredited as a Center of 
Excellence level, or  
(b) must have its teacher education program accredited as a FAAP Level IV, or 
(c) must have a BLEPT passing rate of at least 75% passing rate in six of the last 
ten years.  
 
 
The TEI shall be subject to a service partnership contract that will outline the 
terms and conditions of its coverage under this Program. 
 
 
SEC. 13. Department of Education (DepEd). – The DepEd shall be the lead 
implementing agency of the provisions of this Act. It shall establish a TEACH Program 
Management Unit that shall be responsible for the evaluation, award-giving, and 
monitoring and evaluation of all scholarship grants and awardees; Provided that, 


 
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administrative expenses must not exceed five percent (5%) of the total budget per 
year.  
 
DepEd shall ensure hiring of qualified graduates under this Program as public 
school teachers with the incentives outlined under Section 10 of this Act, and 
coordinating the same with the Civil Service Commission and the Department of 
Budget and Management. DepEd will provide forward estimates of teacher needs for 
every specialization and level to help in mapping out the scholar recruitment plan 
under Section 11. It will coordinate with its regional offices to ensure regional support 
and coordination with other offices in the implementation of this program; Provided 
that, additional staff will be provided to DepEd regional offices in support of the 
Program, as necessary. The DepEd, through the TEC, shall ensure that the policies for 
the program are supported by relevant stakeholders; and shall ensure the continuous 
monitoring and evaluation, including the impact of hiring of teaching professionals 
facilitated through Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10533 or the “Enhanced Basic 
Education Act of 2013” and Republic Act No. 10612 or the Fast-Tracked S&T 
Scholarship Act of 2013.  
 
 
SEC. 14. Commission on Higher Education. – CHED shall lead in setting the 
standards for and validation of the qualifications of partner TEIs and continue to 
monitor the eligibility of the partner TEIs, to ensure the Program’s effective and 
efficient implementation. CHED shall submit the necessary information to DepEd to 
help with the implementation of this Program. It shall continue to improve and uplift 
the quality standards for TEIs and higher education to expand the number of eligible 
TEIs for the TEACH Program.  
 
 
CHED shall take the lead in coordinating with the Unified Student Financial 
Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Board under Republic Act No. 
10931, to ensure complementarity and harmonization with this Act.  CHED shall 
ensure that the scholarships for in-service teacher education under Section 10(f) are 
made available to the Program grantees.  
 
 
SEC. 15. Teacher Education Council. – The TEC will provide multi-stakeholder 
support for the TEACH Program in determining the policy, monitoring and 
evaluation assistance for the Program. It will lead the creation of a monitoring and 
evaluation plan for the Program, including an impact evaluation study to be initiated 
in the fifth year of the Program and every two years thereafter, including an outcome 
tracking system for the scholar-graduates. From the impact evaluation study, it will 
make recommendations regarding teacher education policies, planning and teacher 
education development projects.  
 


 
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SEC. 16. Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs). – Partner TEIs will help in the 
administration of the Program in their respective schools, subject to the terms and 
conditions of their commitments under Section 12 of this Act. Every TEI is tasked with 
the rigorous selection and monitoring of the mentors for the Recipients of the 
Program. It shall ensure pre-service teacher education that is innovative and 
responsive, taking into account student-learning-centered professional teaching of 
knowledge and skills for educators who will have a strong sense of professionalism, 
moral character and with strong respect for diversity, and ethnic cultures, concern for 
society, and international vision.  
 
 
CHAPTER V 
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
 
 
SEC. 17. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the implementation of 
this Act shall be charged against the available appropriations of the Department of 
Education, under the current General Appropriations Act. The Secretary of Education 
shall immediately include in the DepEd’s budget the amount necessary for the 
effective implementation of this Act. An initial appropriation for Eight Hundred 
Forty-Six Million Pesos (PHP 846,000,000.00) for the first year of implementation. 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for its continuous implementation shall be included 
in the Annual General Appropriations.  
 
 
Sec. 18. Other Sources of Funding. Other sources of funds such as grants, 
donations, collections and other forms of assistance from public or private entities, 
whether domestic or foreign, may be tapped and facilitated by the DepEd in relation 
to the implementation of the TEACH Program. 
  
 
SEC. 19. Review and Monitoring. – The DepEd, through the TEC, shall report 
to the President and Congress after the first five (5) years, and every two (2) years 
thereafter, on the implementation of the provisions of this Act and shall submit 
recommendations for its improvement. All the TEC government agencies are also 
tasked to monitor the implementation of the TEACH Program as well as the actual 
hiring in public schools of the TEACH Program graduates, and to undertake such 
studies and include these in their respective annual reports.  
 
 
SEC. 20. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). – Within one hundred 
twenty (120) days from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Education 
through the Teacher Education Council, and in consultation with the National 
Economic Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education, Department of 


 
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Science and Technology, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, 
Civil Service Commission and Department of Budget and Management, shall 
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of 
this Act.  
 
 
The IRR issued pursuant to this section shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. Copies of 
the IRR as published shall be transmitted to the Chairs of the Committees on Basic 
Education and Higher Education in the Senate and the House of Representatives, no 
later than six (6) months after the effectivity of this Act. 
 
 
SEC. 21. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions or parts not affected shall 
remain in full force and effect. 
 
 
SEC. 22. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, executive orders, presidential 
decrees, administrative orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof 
inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, 
amended, or modified accordingly. 
 
 
SEC. 23. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,