The Teacher Education Council (TEC) brought together education sector stakeholders to celebrate teachers and advance initiatives aimed at strengthening teacher education in the country during Celebrating Teacher Excellence: A National Teachers’ Month 2026 Celebration in Manila.
The celebration highlighted a shared national commitment to quality teacher education, recognizing that quality education begins with teachers who are well-prepared, continuously supported, and equipped to respond to the evolving needs of Filipino learners.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the vital role of teachers in the country’s development.
“This is why as we celebrate National Teachers’ month, we celebrate excellence where it matters most, in the Filipino teacher, and that is no exaggeration. I really consider that to be the case. The most important part of our education system are the teachers. Without you and your hard work, we could not do any of the things that we wanted to do,” the President said.
The celebration also marked several milestones in teacher education, including the formalization of support for 13 Teacher Education Centers of Excellence, the recognition of the recipients of the 2026 TEC Teachers Awards, and the continued implementation of the Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP).
The National Teachers’ Month 2026 celebration highlighted the work of teachers, teacher educators, education leaders, researchers, scholars, and community advocates in strengthening Philippine education.
For Education Secretary and TEC Chairperson Sonny Angara, the celebration brought together government policy, institutional initiatives, and the work of educators and partners toward a common goal: strengthening the teaching profession.
“Under the leadership and vision of President Bongbong Marcos, we are working to ensure that our teachers are fully supported at every stage of their career,” Angara said. “Education is not built by one person alone; it is strengthened by our collective and collaborative efforts so that every Filipino learner can reach their dreams, and that begins by empowering the very educators who guide them.”
The TEC Secretariat, led by Executive Director V, Dr. Jennie V. Jocson, has been advancing initiatives across scholarships, institutional quality assurance, professional learning, and research to translate the Council’s mandate into programs that support teachers throughout their professional journey.
One of the highlights was the introduction of My Teacher Education Commons (MyTEC), a digital platform being developed to provide teachers with access to professional learning resources and development opportunities aligned with their career stages. The platform is intended to help teachers identify pathways for professional growth and respond to the changing demands of the profession, from strengthening instructional practice and assessment to developing leadership and mentoring capacities.
The celebration also recognized scholars under the Teacher Education Scholarship Program, which supports students pursuing teacher education degrees. Through the program, TEC seeks to expand access to teacher education, particularly in priority fields, and strengthen the pipeline of qualified educators who will serve Filipino learners.
Celebrating teachers who transform lives
A major highlight of the celebration was the presentation of the TEC Teachers Awards 2026, which recognizes individuals whose work has advanced teacher education in the Philippines.
The Outstanding Transformative Teacher Award recognizes educators who went beyond delivering lessons and created learning experiences that enabled learners to see new possibilities for themselves. The Exemplary Teacher Educator Award honors those whose influence extended beyond their own students to the teachers those students would one day become. The Innovative Education Leader Award acknowledges individuals who created spaces for new ideas, encouraged collaboration, and helped educational institutions respond to changing needs.
The Pre-Service Teacher Research Champion Award commends aspiring educators who demonstrated excellence in education research and contributed to building an evidence base for the future of teacher education. The Advocates of Community Empowerment Award lauds individuals whose work extended education beyond the classroom and created meaningful opportunities for learning and development within communities. Together, the five award categories recognized excellence in classroom practice, teacher preparation, leadership, research, and community engagement.
One of the highlights was the introduction of My Teacher Education Commons (MyTEC), a digital platform being developed to provide teachers with access to professional learning resources and development opportunities aligned with their career stages.
Strengthening institutions that support teachers
The event also recognized 13 Teacher Education Centers of Excellence (Teacher Education-COEs). Under Republic Act No. 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, the designation of COEs aims to strengthen teacher preparation, facilitate collaboration, support research and innovation, mentor other teacher education institutions (TEIs), and improve the quality of teacher education.
The National Teacher Education COEs are Philippine Normal University Manila, De La Salle University, Bicol University Daraga, Philippine Normal University Mindanao, and University of the Philippines Diliman. The designated Regional Teacher Education-COEs are Cebu Normal University Main, Philippine Normal University North Luzon, University of the Cordilleras, Pangasinan State University Bayambang, Saint Louis University, Mariano Marcos State University Laoag, West Visayas State University Main, and University of Santo Tomas.
Recognizing that strengthening teacher education requires collective effort, TEC also acknowledged the indispensable role of its partners in advancing its mandate. Through their support, expertise, and collaboration, these institutions and organizations contributed to the TEC’s ongoing and upcoming initiatives and to the implementation of the Teacher Education Roadmap 2035.
Among the partners recognized were University of Makati, Bulacan State University, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, BDO Foundation, Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc., EDCOM2, Asian Institute of Management, Chalkboard Inc., Global Changemaker Schools, SEAMEO INNOTECH, and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Science High School System.
Also recognized were the Teacher Education Centers of Excellence (TEECs), namely University of San Carlos, Caraga State University, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Cotabato State University, Philippine Normal University, and the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Their partnership supported the TEC’s ongoing and upcoming work, and contributed to the implementation of the Teacher Education Roadmap 2035 as stakeholders worked toward a stronger, more connected teacher education system.
The National Teachers’ Month 2026 celebration highlighted the work of teachers, teacher educators, education leaders, researchers, scholars, and community advocates in strengthening Philippine education. It also highlighted the whole-of-nation support systems needed to sustain that work, including strong TEIs, accessible scholarships, relevant professional learning, research and innovation, and collaboration among government, schools, higher education institutions, communities, and partners.
Under its mandate to strengthen teacher education and support the continuous improvement of the teaching profession, TEC works under the overarching leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and its principal officials—the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
As the country honored its teachers this National Teachers’ Month, the message was clear: when we invest in teachers, we invest in every Filipino learner they teach, guide, inspire, and empower. And when we strengthen teacher education, we strengthen the future of Philippine teacher education.
