Half of high school science teachers not science majors—EDCOM

Metro Manila, Philippines — Half of the high school science teachers are not science majors, according to a national commission that assesses and evaluates the education sector.

In a press briefing, Karol Mark Yee, executive director of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) said on Tuesday a “bulk” of science teachers did not finish courses related to the discipline.

“How will you teach something you did not know yourself?” Yee said.

He said EDCOM 2 is in talks with the Department of Education (DepEd) to tackle the hiring process for basic education teachers.

“Hindi nila sinasabi na iyong vacancy pala namin Math, iyong vacancy pala namin Science. Kailangan ilagay para alam ng graduate… Kasi ngayon, generic yung posting. Walang emphasis sa specialization,”

[Translation: They don't specify that we have vacancies for Math or Science; it should be stated so graduates know. Currently, the postings are generic and lack emphasis on specialization.]

Education Secretary Sonny Angara vowed to address the shortage of science teachers.

“Iyong sinasabi na wala tayong Science teachers or kalahati nung Science teachers natin, hindi grumaduate or walang specialization sa Science, iyong ay isang dapat pag-usapan nitong Cabinet cluster,” he said.

[Translation: The claim that we don't have Science teachers, or that half of our Science teachers didn't graduate with a specialization in Science, is something that needs to be discussed by the Cabinet cluster.]

The cluster that is tasked to address the learning crisis is composed of agencies including the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Filipino high school students ranked poorly in recent international assessments in mathematics, science, reading comprehension, and creative thinking.