THE Philippine Normal University (PNU) recently facilitated a harmonization workshop between the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (Aaccup) and the AsTEN Quality Assurance Agency (ATQA), PNU President Bert Tuga said.
The event gathered academic leaders, experts and quality assurance practitioners from various public teacher education institutions (TEIs) across the Philippines to align national and regional standards in teacher education.
The workshop aimed to develop harmonized standards that will enable a dual recognition system of teacher education accreditation covering national and international standards.
Professors Mohammad Ali, Ahmad Bukhori Muslim, Vidi Sukmayadi, and Ari Arifin Danuwijaya from ATQA presented the teacher education standards collaboratively developed by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Teacher Education Network (AsTEN).
The AsTEN standards cover teacher qualification, admissions, curriculum, field experiences, faculty development, leadership and governance, and research and community service.
Aaccup presented enhancements to its accreditation instrument to strengthen quality assurance in Philippine teacher education, aligning with global benchmarks and the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers.
Teacher Education Council executive director Jennie Jocson said in her keynote speech highlighted the council’s initiatives on reframing the preservice teacher education curriculum under the Excellence in Teacher Education Act.
She noted efforts to future-proof teacher education through curriculum reform, strengthened quality assurance, and the establishment of the Teacher Education Excellence Center (TEEC) to support teacher development nationwide.
Teacher internship program
In a related development, PNU hosted four teacher-interns from the Universitas Negeri Semarang (Unnes) in Indonesia who are participating in a monthlong Teaching Internship Program until Aug. 19.
The visiting interns are scholars from various education programs at Unnes, including Norita Agustina Subagyo, Najwa Rahma, Valda Nafila, and Ika Rizki Refima Putri.
They are assigned to PNU’s partner basic education schools, where they will observe classroom practices, assist in teaching, and participate in professional learning activities alongside Filipino mentors.
The program is part of PNU’s partnership with Unnes, in coordination with the PNU Linkages and International Office, which manages the program’s logistics, mentorship support, and institutional compliance.
