Bringing together education stakeholders nationwide, the 1st #GurongMayKalidad: Teacher Education Roadmap 2035 Caravan opened on 22 September 2026 at the Prince Bernhard Gym, Saint Louis University (SLU) Main Campus, with the theme “Teacher, Ikaw Naman!”
In celebration of National Teachers’ Month, the Teacher Education Council (TEC), together with SLU, co-hosted and co-convened the four-day event to roll out the Teacher Education Roadmap 2035, the shared national framework for developing quality educators.
Anchored on its mandate under Republic Act No. 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, the TEC operationalized the Teacher Education Roadmap 2035 after the Council’s approval on 7 October 2025. The Roadmap serves as a guide for designing relevant, responsive, innovative, creative, and collaborative programs for educators. The framework is organized around four pillars, namely elevating and promoting the teaching profession; strengthening educator preparation; investing in in-service development, career progression, and recognition; and broadening the impact of teacher education.
SLU President Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD, welcomed the educators with gratitude, highlighting the importance of the Caravan to the development of both educators and learners. “This strategic assembly plays a vital role in ensuring that our teacher education programs—spanning both pre-service preparation and in-service professional development—are seamlessly aligned toward a unified standard of excellence. It is through this collaborative alignment that we equip teachers not only with knowledge and pedagogy, but also with the heart to guide and nurture our youth toward fulfilling their divine potential. By harmonizing these programs, we strengthen our educators’ foundational capabilities in delivering dynamic, high-quality education to the young learners whom God has lovingly entrusted to the care of our schools.”
Fr. Sales further emphasized the responsibility of educators in shaping students into empowered learners through quality and holistic education, as he noted,“[W]e are reminded of the profound social and moral obligation embedded in our mission as educators. Schools fulfill their sacred duty and provide true justice whenever they ensure that every student receives quality and holistic education that empowers them to thrive. As we engage in the sessions of this caravan, may our shared dedication inspire fruitful collaboration and lasting reform.”
TEC Secretariat Director II of the Student Incentives Support Office (SISO), Adrian Lawrence Carvajal, PhD followed with a message underscoring the role of the Caravan in bringing education stakeholders together towards the shared goal of quality teacher education. “[A] roadmap is meaningful only when it guides our actions. This is what the Caravan is about. It creates a space for us to listen, learn from one another, exchange ideas and experiences, and build a common understanding of where teacher education needs to go, and how we can move in that direction together,” he said.
Dr. Carvajal also emphasized the significance of collaborative efforts in developing quality Filipino educators, adding, “Quality teacher education is not simply about preparing our teachers. It is about preparing teachers who will shape our tomorrow.”
Thereafter, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong shared his Message of Support, highlighting the local government’s efforts in creating a supportive environment for teachers and ensuring education is prioritized. “We make sure that we are hands-on, and we are in constant communication with our members and at the same time with our teachers and parents… we are remarkably proactive,” he stated. He then expressed his personal insights on the importance of remaining dedicated to the goal of developing quality education for a better future for the youth. “Despite all these uncertainties, the darkness that we see on the road ahead. There is a sure thing that keeps us moving forward. Why are you here today? Why are you coming out with a roadmap that extends up to 2035? There is only one reason, and that is hope.”
Afterward, the Overview of the Teacher Education Roadmap 2035 was presented by TEC Consultant and Former President of Philippine Normal University Dr. Ester B. Ogena, and TEC Consultant and Former President of Leyte Normal University Dr. Evelyn C. Cruzada. The Roadmap centers on the development of “quality Filipino educators who are competent, ethical, inclusive, resilient, and committed to their own growth and to developing locally and globally responsible, productive learners.”
Booths were then opened before the workshops commenced:
- Workshop 1: From Agenda to Action: Advancing Teacher Education Targeted | Teacher Education Council Student Incentives Support Office
- Workshop 2: Generative AI for Educators: Build Your AI Teaching Assistant Asian Institute of Management (AIM) | Alberto G. Mateo, Jr., Clinical Professor Head, School of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning, Asian Institute of Management (AIM)
The Teacher Education Roadmap 2035 Caravan will continue holding the following workshops until its conclusion on 25 September 2026:
23 September
- Workshop 3: Capacity Enhancement for Teacher Educators on the Reframed Pre-Service Teacher Education Curriculum | Teacher Education Council Quality Pre-Service Teacher Education Office
- Workshop 4: Schools of Living Tradition, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) | Renee Talavera, Chief Program Management Division, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
- Workshop 5: Teaching for Nation Building: The Transformative Power of Bridging Academics & the UN SDGs, Global Changemaker Schools | Froilan Manuel Enverga, Executive Director, Global Changemaker Schools
- Workshop 6: Workshop for Pre-Service Teachers on mEducation, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) | Rene Marlon Panti, Senior Research Manager, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
- Workshop 7: Transforming Teachers, Transforming Learners: Designing Future-Ready Classrooms through the UMAK-CITE E.X.C.I.T.E.D. Instructional Model, University of Makati – College of Innovative Teacher Education (UMak CITE) | April E. Leaño, PhD, Associate Professor, UMak CITE
- Workshop 8: Masterclass: Designing Meaningful Professional Learning Experiences: The Case of Explicit Instruction in Mathematics, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation | Joseph Randolph P. Palattao, Content and Learning Design Manager, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation
24 September
- Workshop 9: Capacity Enhancement for Teachers on the Utilization of the Teacher Education Commons in Support of the Proposed System to Affirm the Career Stages of Teachers | Teacher Education Council Quality Teaching Office
- Workshop 10: Activate Curiosity and Engagement with Mac and iPad Apple Philippines | Carla Mae C. Melendez & Selene Estaris-Proctor, EdTech Specialist, Apple Philippines / Sencolink Technologies
- Workshop 11: Rethinking Teacher Quality: Organizing for Labor Rights, Wellbeing, and Empowerment E-NET Philippines | Jillian Roque, PSLINK; Jim Lester P. Beleno, Secretary-General, Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC)
- Workshop 12: Teaching Early Readers: Building Strong Foundations in Reading, Chalkboard | Rosalyn G. Mirasol, PhD, Chalkboard Representative
- Workshop 13: #MoneyGURO: Utang-Smart, Scam-Proof, at Madiskarte na Guronitiative BDO Foundation and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas | Salve Ibañez, President, Empower and Transform
25 September
- Workshop 14: Setting the Standards of Future-Ready Teachers and Education Leaders: A Participatory Co-Creation Workshop, Philippine Normal University | Dr. Celia M. Ilanan, Dean, College of Alternative and Lifelong Learning, PNU Manilla; Dr. Brando C. Palomar, Director, Research Institute for Teacher Quality, PNU Manila
- Workshop 15: Upgrading Learning Competencies and Alignment to PQF Level 1 for Basic Education Saint Louis University | Joselito C. Gutierrez, LPT, PhD, Executive Assistant to the President Saint Louis University
- Workshop 16: Advancing Teacher Growth and Leadership in Southeast Asia SEAMEO INNOTECH | Marvin Dominic B. Buena, Senior Associate – Teacher Quality Development Unit, SEAMEO INNOTECH
In line with Missio et Excellentia, SLU continues on in its unwavering dedication to inclusive education and lifelong learning aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals) by fostering partnerships within the academic community vital for the advancement of both educators and learners in the Philippines. (Article by Christianne Payang, UIO Intern | Photos by Angela Dimapilis, UIO Intern).
