RA #4760: Magna Carta of Public-School Teachers

Teaching is one of most essential profession these days, as the saying Teachers

create all other professions. The State recognizes the roles of the teachers in molding

and nurturing learners who will later become a productive member of the society.

Indeed, teachers play a great role and indeed an asset in the society. In return for their

undying dedication and devotion in teaching, the government created RA #4760 or also

know as the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers. It aims to promote and improve

the social and economic status of public school teachers, their living and working

conditions, their terms of employment and career prospects in order that they may

compare favorably with existing opportunities in other walks of life, attract and retain in

the teaching profession more people with the proper qualifications, it being recognized

that advance in education depends on the qualifications and ability of the teaching staff

and that education is an essential factor in the economic growth of the nation as a

productive investment of vital importance.

As I read the content of the law, I understand the goal of the State and their

purpose in creating this law. The State recognizes the teachers sacrifices and they

deserve to be protected at all costs. As the teachers’ efforts are being recognized in

building the nation, this Act was passed into law to look after the welfare of the public-

school teachers and to promote, improve, and secure the professional rights of a

teacher. Today, many teachers experience injustice and inequality it a must that a law is

created to serve as shields for the teachers. Teachers are also a modern-day hero, they

take on the full responsibility of the leaners inside the school and they take care of
them, teach and mold them to become the best version of themselves. Teachers guide

them and sometimes go beyond from what they were expected to do, that they can

make sacrifices just for the sake of the leaners. I hope that the State continues to see

how valuable teachers are.

The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers helps us to understand fully the

rights of the teachers. It protects the rights of the teachers like the tenure of office,

academic freedom, and other benefits. However, within the 2 years that our country

experienced the covid 19 pandemic, a lot of issues concerning teachers arises. Teachers

were left with no choice but to continue some of their regular undertakings during the

pandemic, to the point of putting themselves at risk of acquiring the deadly virus just to

ensure that the modules and learning materials reach the students. Teachers as

frontliners have exposed themselves to the deadly virus to think that they also have

families and children at home. They risked their lives to cater the needs of every learner.

It is a high time that the State revisit the law and make it more beneficiary on the part of

the teachers.
 RA #6655: Free Public Secondary Act of 1988

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has their right to

education. Education must be free and compulsory at least in the primary level, higher

education and technical – vocational education should be made generally available.

With this, the State created RA #6655 or also known as Free Public Secondary Act of

1988. It is the policy of the State to provide for a free public secondary education to all

qualified citizens and to promote quality education at all levels. The Act stipulates that

students enrolled in secondary course offerings are to be free from payment of tuition

and other school fees except "fees related to membership in the school community such

as identification cards, student organizations and publications." The provisions of the Act

are to be implemented starting with the 1988/89 school year.

In the 1987 Philippine Constitution, it is stated in Article 14, Section 1 that “The

State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels

and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all”, and it was

made possible thru the creation of the law. The implementation of RA #6655 in the

Philippines makes secondary schooling free, which means that households do not need

to pay tuition fees. The significance of this act is that it gives an opportunity to every

Filipinos, especially the young ones, to be educated and be taught about basic

instructions and lifelong learning that are being taught and done during elementary

years and most especially during secondary or high-school years. It is in this stage
wherein the student or the adolescent will be exposed to many different encounters

that will enhance and develop his skills. The school then plays a very important role in

this stage. As we have noticed, some of our fellows suffer from poverty and they can

even hardly send their children to school. This act will help them to be productive

because in our society nowadays, it is very difficult to prosper financially when we lack

education.

Poverty is the main reason why many young Filipinos could not attend schools.

Therefore, the government created such laws to give everyone the free access to basic

education. It is the State solution to decrease number of illiteracies in the country, so

that a Filipino could land a more decent job because Secondary education is the

minimum requirement for a person to be hired in a job and there is no excuse or reason

why a child could not get a proper education. The government is therefore right upon

implementing this republic act, because if not with this, there would still be many

Filipinos who will be suffering from poverty, indolence, and non-productiveness.

Naturally, we are raised to be competitive in all ways, and through education we are

being helped upon reaching our goals in life and to become competitive not just locally

but globally.
 Adult Education

Education is for everyone. There is no exemption when it comes to learning, as

the saying goes “There is no age limit for learning. If you have the willingness and the

correct attitude to learn something, age becomes just a number.” The objectives of adult

education shall be to eliminate illiteracy and to give vocational and citizenship training.

When it comes to education, first thing that comes into our minds are children,

young adult attending to school, we think of the formal education that takes place in a

school where there are learners and teachers. But the right to education is not only for

younger ones, they are not the only beneficiaries of free access to basic education but

also the adult ones. That’s why our government created programs that could cater the

need to learn of adults who would like to re-enter schooling.

Adult education and learning is an integral part of the right to education and

lifelong learning, and comprises ‘all forms of education and learning that aim to ensure

that all adults participate in their societies and the world of work. It denotes the entire

body of learning processes, formal, non-formal and informal, whereby those regarded as

adults by the society in which they live, develop, and enrich their capabilities for living

and working, both in their own interests and those of their communities, organizations

and societies’ (UNESCO Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education [2015]:

neglected primary and/or secondary education, develop basic education skills, such as

literacy and numeracy, develop new vocational skills and expertise to adapt to changing

labor market conditions or to change career, or for continued professional development,

continue learning for personal development and leisure, participate fully in social life

and in democratic processes. adult education benefits the individual, by: being

instrumental in the enjoyment of other human rights, for instance, the rights to work,

health, and to take part in cultural life and in the conduct of public affairs empowering

economically and socially marginalized adults to understand, question and transform,

through critical awareness, the sources of their marginalization, including lifting

themselves out of poverty and building the skills and knowledge necessary to participate

in society facilitating active citizenship.

At present adult education can be categorized as non – formal education wherein

learning takes place outside the school. For example, in the Philippines we have

different examples of adult education. First, we have the ALS or the Alternative Learning

System. The Alternative Learning System (ALS) is a parallel learning system in the

Philippines that provides opportunities for out-of-school youth and adult (OSYA)

learners to develop basic and functional literacy skills, and to access equivalent

pathways to complete basic education. One of the purposes of this program is to

provide basic education to the adult population. And second, Technical Education and

Skills Development Authority, TESDA's main goal is to provide quality technical

education and training programs to Filipino citizens including adults so they can be

employed in various industries.

very welcome to return to schools. The reason why they created programs like ALS and

TESDA is to ensure that every Filipino learner especially the adult can have the chance to

develop their skills and capabilities so that they can be also well-equipped and

competent to their jobs. The State recognizes the right to education of every citizen of

the country. I hope that the present administration will invest more in education. So that

no Filipino will be left behind and every learner whether young or adult receives quality

education.
 The Characteristics of the K to 12 Program

It was 2012 when the Kto12 program was launched in the Philippines, a

comprehensive reform of its basic education. Through this reform, the Philippines is

catching up with global standards in secondary education and is attaching a high value to

kindergarten. The government implemented the K to 12 programs to enhance the

educational system of the country to accelerate the mutual recognition of Filipino

graduates and professionals across the world. What is kto12 program? The K to 12

Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary

education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS])

to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners,

and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development,

employment, and entrepreneurship. Though the law received criticisms the government

still thinks that there is a need to revised the curriculum for some reasons like among

the countries in the world, Philippines has the shortest years of studying that the

country produces very young professionals that cannot keep up with other professionals

abroad, provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to be readily

employable if they wish to work after senior high school, and most importantly DepEd

promised a more quality education for every learners.

21st century skills: (1) information, media and technology skills; (2) learning and

innovation skills; (3) communication skills; and (4) life and career skills. It aims to

improve Filipino students' skills in mathematics, science, and linguistics to further exhibit

competence in the global job market. With the new curriculum, the Department of

Education promises to offer higher quality education through the strand. In the new

basic education curriculum— kindergarten is the starting point of the students, to be

followed by 12 years of basic education, consisting of six years of primary education, 4

years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school. Senior high school, the

highlight of the said curriculum, has three tracks that can be chosen by the students

according to their preferences: Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; Sports and Arts; and

Academic Track. DepEd offered another three strands in the academic track so that

students can take what they really want, and they really need. It includes Accountancy,

Business, Management (ABM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS/HUMSS);

and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM). Through this new and

remodeled education system, Philippines is expected to be globally competent and will

produce highly skilled and literate countrymen.

Education is evolving and it is high time that Philippines must accept these huge

changes in the curriculum. For some it is just an added burden, for the part of the

students and parent but think about it the purpose of the new curriculum will benefit

the learners a lot in so many ways. A country must go with the flow and learn to ride

with the waves. Change is the only that’s constant, if Philippines won’t change

something within the system, our country cannot progress, and so our learners. The
global standard in education might be difficult for us, but it will surely bring success in

our country. It is the role of education to produce skilled and competitive individuals

that can contribute to economy of the country that is why the State saw the need of

revising the curriculum and it assures as that this younger generations will be globally

competitive and morally upright individuals.

all public and private schools

The Rizal Law, officially designated as Republic Act No. 1425, is a Philippine law

that mandates all educational institutions in the Philippines to offer courses about José

Rizal. The objectives of Rizal Law (1956) is to rededicate the lives of the youth to ideals

of freedom and nationalism, to pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and

works in shaping the Filipino character and to gain an inspiring source of patriotism thru

the study of Rizal's life, works and writings. Senator Claro M. Recto was one of the most

favors in presenting and sponsoring the law, believing that Rizal spreads tremendous

nationalism by exposing young minds to the struggles of the Filipinos during the Spanish

rule, thereby making the Philippines independent and giving Filipino's independence.

Why study Rizal? It is of great importance that students understand the rationale

behind having to take up a Rizal course in college. For high school students, the Noli Me

Tangere and the El Filibusterismo are injected into the Filipino subject as part of the

overall curriculum. In tertiary education, however, Rizal is a subject required of any

course, in any college or university in the Philippines. Generations now a days often

forgot the heroism and sacrifices of Rizal for our country. Sadly, most learners now do

not know everything about our national hero. They know only little thing about him, like
he died for our country and fight for our freedom. But how about the big things about

him? His life, his works, his contribution to the history of our country.

The State see the need that the life of Rizal must be included in the curriculum.

So that every learner will know every detail of his life and work. Not only his

contributions to the nations’ freedom but also the life lesson that the students will learn

through the subject. Lessons such as students may recognize the importance of Rizal’s

ideals and teachings in relation to present conditions and situations in the society, they

will be encouraged to apply such ideals in current social and personal problems and

issues, for them to develop an appreciation and deeper understanding of all that Rizal

fought and died for and to foster the development of the Filipino youth in all aspects of

citizenship.

The R.A 1425 or Rizal Law is about putting courses related to Rizal in different

levels and I am in favor because, as a Filipino citizen, this law increases Filipino's

nationalism to improve individual's identity. It is important to know our history and our

National heroes' bravery especially Jose Rizal. In this way, each Filipino student

recognizes Rizal and his love for our country that made today's generation.