A group of lawmakers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has filed a bill proposing to grant permanent status to non-passers of the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) who have served for at least 10 years in the region.
Bangsamoro Transition Authority – BARMM Members of Parliament (MPs) Abdulraof Macacua, Eduard Guerra, Ziaur-Rahman Adiong, and Abdullah Hashim filed the proposal during the BTA session here on Tuesday.
The authors noted that BTA Bill 122, also known as the “Provisional Teachers Act of 2021”, intends to recognize the provisional teachers’ contribution, expertise, and years of service in the region.
Provisional appointments, as defined in the 2017 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Actions, are made to appointees who meet all of the position’s requirements except eligibility.
In the case of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Muslim Act 303, or the Strengthened Basic Education Act in ARMM of 2012, provides mechanisms for provisional teachers to be given permanent status, either through years of service or a moratorium for which they can take the licensure exam.
“Unfortunately, the problem persisted and is now inherited by BARMM,” Adiong said in an explanatory note. “By granting them (provisional teachers) permanent status under certain conditions, the authors believe that this would be the (most just) recourse to resolving the issue and ensure that they continue to contribute to the development of the Bangsamoro.”
Under the proposed bill, all non-LET passers who have served the now-defunct DepEd-ARMM for at least 10 years will be given permanent status if they meet the qualifications for the post, which include: “Teacher must have rendered a continuous service to the defunct ARMM at least ten years in teaching before the effectivity of this act,” as stated in the bill’s note.
It added that the concerned teachers must pass the qualifying exam provided by the Ministry of Basic, Technical, Higher Education (MBHTE) – BARMM; and other conditions may be deemed necessary.
The bill added that teachers who have rendered continuous service for less than 10 years are required to take the LET within two years.
Graduates of other degree courses hired to teach specializations in elementary and secondary school must pass the licensure exam within five years of their teaching term.
The MBHTE-BARMM has about 20,000 teaching staff in its workforce. (PNA)
