by: Dr. Maria Theresa P. Pelones
Research Presentation during the
Asia Pacific Conference on Educational Management and Leadership 2011, The Legend Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
November 28-December 1, 2011
In a world characterized by global competitions, deregulations, sharp technological change, political turmoil, financial constraint, expanding markets, restructures, merger and government legislations are all putting pressures on organization to change. The process of change is far from easy and to implement change successfully makes considerable demands on the people involved.
Teachers as the key implementers of change in the classroom are tasked to look for public stewardship by redirecting and creating visions, reinventing innovative ideas and engaging through community outreach in order to achieve quality education. Nonetheless, right culture has to be implanted to our teachers to allow them to create mechanism that counters the present and future problems and promote developmental mechanisms that bring out teacher’s competitive advantage.
In the 21st century school system, culture and change alone are not enough to continue its journey. Traditional structures and mode of teaching appears less and less responsive to the challenges of our times. In the Philippines, former Department of Education Secretary Jesli L. Lapus promotes the use of technology through Information Communication and Technology for Education (ICT4E) program. The department is moving towards the integration of ICT into the curriculum, intensifies competency-based professional development program, establishment of ICT infrastructure and development of processes and systems that ensures efficient, transparent and effective educational governance. Although, technology has proven to be very effective, it is not transformative on its own for it requires basic understanding, facilitation of teaching, alignment of educational goals and engagement of varied learning strategies.
In creating globally competitive individuals, teachers need to acquire essential core competencies such as skills, attributes and behaviors. Furthermore, institution should capitalize its strength by motivating teachers to contribute maximum potentials and full commitment by being responsive, result-oriented, innovative, promotes continuous learning, works for high performance, acquire managerial skills and excellence.
The challenge of the 21st century school system demands greater responsibility to the teachers to deeply embed themselves with a school system that can definitely compete at the same time create a unique structure that will elevate the standard and quality of education. This study aimed to provide a Five-Year Teachers’ Competency Development program that will inherit a unique culturally oriented, flexible, motivated and technologically equipped individuals