Pre-school education mandatory for kids aged 5

01/07/2009

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill 5367 that seeks to institutionalize pre-school education into the basic education system.

The bill is in consonance with the State’s policy to provide equal opportunities for all children to avail themselves of free and compulsory pre-school education that effectively promotes physical, social, intellectual, emotional and skills stimulation as well as values information to sufficiently prepare them for formal elementary schooling.

It aims to make pre-school education mandatory for all five-year-old children which shall be implemented on a staggered basis in the school year immediately following the effectivity of this Act.

According to the bill, three years after this Act takes effect, no child shall be admitted to Grade 1 without having attended at least one year of pre-school.

The measure provides that the Department of Education (DepEd) shall regulate the organization, operation and or implementation of the pre-school education through the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE).

Also, the DepEd shall oversee and supervise the implementation of the pre-school education program throughout the country. They shall authorize the opening of pre-school education classes in all public and private schools and develop the curriculum for pre-school education consistent with the universally accepted norms and standards as provided in the bill.

Furthermore, the DepEd shall be responsible for conceiving, developing and extending a regular training program for pre-school education teachers; prescribing the necessary qualifications for the hiring and accreditation of teachers who will handle the pre-school education program, and formulating the necessary guidelines and regulatory standards in connection with the operation of private pre-school institutions.

The DepEd shall also prescribe the standards and qualifications for pre-school teachers and afford for their necessary special training.

On salaries and compensation, the bill provides that public pre-school teachers shall receive a monthly basic salary based on the compensation of public school teachers under the Salary Standardization Law while the private pre-school teacher shall receive the salary and other benefits prescribed under the Labor Code of the Philippines.

Authors of the bill are Reps. Juan Edgardo Angara, Raul del Mar, Mauricio Domogan, Luis Villafuerte, Marcelino Teodoro, Trinidad Apostol, Neptali Gonzales II, Carmencita Reyes, Al Francis Bichara, Edgardo Chatto, Nur Jaafar, Mary Mitzi Cajayon, Del de Guzman and Edcel Lagman, among others. Charlie V. Manalo

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