Teaching Our Teachers

The 1000 Teachers Programme of the Philippine Business for Education continues to yield educators who make a difference in many young minds

n 2008, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) launched the 1000 Teachers Programme (1000 TP). The aim was to develop a pool of competent and committed teachers for the public school system. Through the PBEd Board of Trustees, with the leadership of Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jnr, the idea soon took flight.

The 1000 TP offers a scholarship package to the best and the brightest high school graduates, provides financial assistance for their Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET), and facilitates their employment via a partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd).

Eight years and 307 scholars later, its graduates attest to the fruits of 1000 TP. Lovella Pura, 26, Sorsogon “Three years and counting!” Lovella quips, when asked about her assignment in San Antonio National High School in Barcelona, Sorsogon. Before securing a permanent post as a DepEd teacher, she was with St Louise de Marillac College in the provincial capital.

Teaching was not her first choice as she wanted to be an accountant. She pursued an education degree after learning about 1000 TP in a career caravan. Today, she is constantly rewarded with words of gratitude from her students: “I can already understand it, ma’am,” “I already know how,” and “Thank you.” But she also faces the reality of armed conflict in their ar ea. The sound of gunfire signals both an imminent threat to the lives of teachers