Republic of the Philippines

DON HONORIO VENTURA TECHNOLOGICAL STATE UNIVERSITY

Bacolor, Pampanga
ROMINA M. MANINGAS
Doctor of Education Major in Educational Management
Comparative Education
Dr. Nilo Colinares
REFLECTION PAPER
THE TEACHING LICENSE

According to Alice Wellington Rollins, The test of a good teacher is not how
many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many
questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer. Like what
professor Nilo E. Colinares, Ed.D in his column last December 12, 2010 about the
teaching

license.

Through

the

enactment

of

RA

7836,

The

Teachers

Professionalization Act of 1994. It marked teaching as a profession concerned

primarily with classroom instruction at the elementary and secondary levels accordance
with the curriculum, prescribed by the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports
whether on part-time or full-time basis in private or public schools.
And so, the RA 7836 it leaved a hole with a big question mark. Where does
college teaching profession come in? It is really a mind blowing reading the column of
Professor Colinares, I begun to ask myself too. Are all my teachers in college had their
teaching license or are they require to have a teaching license? Then again, I remember
during the discussion of Professor Baking class, he mention the Trifocalization of the
Philippine Education System, wherein the Department of Education (DepEd),
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) this are distinct bodies wherein they have rules and regulations and
also limitations. Maybe thats why the RA 7836 only focus on the elementary and
secondary teachers to have a teaching license because DepEd is under the
government and the government ensuring the people to have a quality education but on
the other hand CHED also have other criteria for teachers who are teaching in higher
education/college.
However, on a black and white aspect questioning whether teaching in college
consider a profession if under the RA 7836 is concerned only basic education teachers

are only required to have a teaching license awakes our mind and perhaps also the
department and senate. Lawmaker must also consider that teaching in college as a
profession for fair-share of dignity and to strengthen the educational system of our
country. Yes, the elementary is considered as the foundation of the leaners and
secondary as a column and college as beam. Ive just define the three stage in
education as a structure or like a building.
The government must not only give the majority budget of the country to
education just to ensure to have a quality education. Educators must also be there
prioritize such as making teaching in college as a profession. All concerned organization
also needed to voice out the said concern to uplift our educators. As I mention the
quotes of Alice Wellington Rollins in my first line, Professor Colinares is a good teacher
for he inspires me to ask questions as he also seeking for the answer. For so many
years only our Professor asked this big question that I am sure everyone afraid to ask
for. Thank you Sir for sharing your wisdom.