The teacher and the ASEAN Standards

In 2012, the Philippine Qualifications Framework was institutionalized through the creation of a high-level PQF-National Coordinating Council (NCC). The PQF is a national instrument for the development and classification of qualifications according to a set of criteria or standards for levels of learning achieved or qualification outcomes within the Philippine Education System. Through the Philippine Qualifications Framework, we are able to assess levels of complexity of learning with level descriptors that include cognitive and functional competence; as well as personal and ethical competence.

The PQF aims to establish national standards and levels for outcomes of education and training, skills and competencies, to support the development and maintenance of pathways and equivalencies which provide access to qualifications and assist people to move easily and readily between the different Education and Training sectors and between these sectors and the labour market, and lastly, to align the PQF with international qualifications framework to support the national and international mobility of workers thru increased recognition of the value and comparability of Philippine qualifications.

The PQF indeed gives so many advantages for the professionals. For one, it encourages lifelong learning allowing the person to start at the level that suits him and then build-up his qualifications as his needs and interests develop and change over time, and also certificates and licenses recognized by government.

The PQF was developed in response and in anticipation of the ASEAN Integration wherein member states are characterised by varying development and levels of national qualifications framework (NQF). Some AMS have established comprehensive NQFs, others have sectoral frameworks in place, and others have yet to develop or implement qualifications frameworks. Within this context, the Asean Qualifications Reference Framework aims to accommodate different types of NQFs that are at different stages of development, ranging from those that are initial conceptual proposals to those that are fully developed and functioning NQFs.

This is taken from Hafsah Jan, a PHd. Scholar from the University of Kashmir in India entitled “Teacher of 21st Century: Characteristics and Devel opment .”

Teaching has become more and more complex and challenging now days. The students’disobedience, argumentation, rudeness level is on the rise while the patience level of students’is decreasing. Due to the modern age stress, competition, availability of so many sources of knowledge like internet, TV series, movies showing violence and so on. As education advances with the help of technology, it becomes very clear that modern teachers are very different from traditional teachers. The teachers are facilitators of the learning. The focus of a 21st century teacher is on student by developing higher order thinking skills, effective communication, collaboration, and other skills that they need in the 21st century. The teachers must develop new teaching strategies that are radically different. The teacher role is of guides and facilitators, not mere providers of knowledge. The students must be engaged in learning and provided instructions using a variety of methods and pedagogical approaches aided with technol ogy.

A 21st century teacher has many characteristics that distinguish him from the traditional teacher.

1. Teachers have to think globally: It is agreed upon that the world has shrunk irrespective of a teacher teaching in local or international schools. As teachers need to develop new generation of learners who think and act globally. So, teacher must include the examples and narratives across the world, apart from familiar realities and daily experiences.

2. Teachers have to develop sensitivity towards cross-cultural differences and diversity: As the students seem to work locally, yet they are connected to the students around the world, un/ consciously. So many students likely travel to faraway places having diverse cultural environments, to work there. The capability to manage cultural differences gives them an edge in competitive future workplaces.

3. Teachers have to be technologically knowledgeable: All teachers must continually upgrade their skills particularly technical skills irrespective of their subject area, resource pools, school settings etc. They need to increase their levels with changing technology. I want to quote here A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, “Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.”

4. Teachers have to build partnerships and alliances beyond classrooms: Teachers must enroll subject experts to teach the curriculum so that, learning may be effective and applied to the real world. Such as listening to an educationist lecture in a video clip may help, i.e. substitute to inviting an educationist into the classroom. Opportunities for students, like to meet real-life educationists/ scientists/ subject experts to whom they can pose questions directly, make an ever lasting impact on them.

5. Teachers have to share learning inside the four walls: The reality and my personal experience is that teachers learn as much from students and vice versa. The teachers need to accept the importance and necessity of shared learning in classrooms. It challenges traditional classrooms, by making learning continuous process. It endows new meaning to teachinglearning process and help teachers to accept that learning never stops.