Teacher Education Centers of Excellence 2026

NATIONAL COEs

The designated COEs serve as pivotal leaders in elevating teacher quality and strengthening the Philippine teacher education system. Leveraging their expertise in teacher preparation, research, curriculum innovation, policy engagement, and professional development, they are uniquely positioned to drive evidence-based reforms, foster workforce development, and tackle systemic challenges affecting educational equity and learner outcomes.

Priority challenges requiring national-level action

Public Perception of the Teaching Profession

Negative perceptions of teaching related to salary, working conditions, career prospects, and professional status continue to discourage students from pursuing teaching careers. These perceptions contribute to challenges in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, particularly in high-need specialization areas.

Poor Literacy and Content Knowledge of Teachers

Low licensure examination passing rates and widespread teacher-subject mismatches indicate gaps in teacher content mastery and preparedness. These challenges affect instructional quality and highlight the need to strengthen pre-service teacher education and professional development.

Limited Pathways to Enter the Teaching Profession

TEIs are unevenly distributed across the country, with concentrations in urban centers and limited access in many provinces. This creates barriers for aspiring teachers in underserved and geographically isolated areas.

Limited Field Experiences and Exposure to Real-World Classroom Teaching

Pre-service teachers receive fewer practicum hours than international benchmarks, limiting opportunities for sustained classroom immersion. Insufficient exposure to authentic teaching environments affects instructional competence, classroom management skills, and professional readiness.

Mismatch Between Teacher Specialization and Subject Taught

A large proportion of teachers teach subjects outside their field of specialization due to shortages and limited availability of specialized teacher education programs. This weakens content mastery and affects the quality of instruction in key learning areas.

Fragmented Quality Assurance System in Teacher Education

Quality assurance mechanisms in teacher education remain fragmented across multiple agencies, resulting in overlapping functions, inconsistent standards, and weak alignment among teacher preparation, licensure, and professional development systems.

Lack of Coordination Across the Teacher Education Ecosystem

Weak coordination among agencies and stakeholders involved in teacher education contributes to gaps in teacher preparation, workforce planning, licensure, and professional development. Stronger alignment across the teacher education continuum is needed to improve system coherence and effectiveness.

Limited Professional Development Opportunities for In-Service Teachers

Many in-service teachers face challenges in accessing relevant and high-quality professional development due to inequitable access, funding constraints, and misalignment with current classroom needs.

Poor Literacy and Numeracy Performance of Basic Education Learners

Persistent literacy and numeracy challenges among learners and graduates indicate the need to strengthen foundational skills instruction, teacher capacity, and intervention programs to improve learning outcomes nationwide.

De La Salle University

Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila (National Capital Region)

Website

Philippine Normal University Manila

Taft Avenue cor. Ayala Boulevard, Ermita, Manila (National Capital Region)

Website

University of the Philippines Diliman

Diliman, Quezon City (National Capital Region)

Website

Philippine Normal University – Mindanao

Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur (Region XIII)

Website

Bicol University – Daraga

Sagpon, Daraga, Albay (Region V)

Website

REGIONAL COEs

Drawing on their strengths in teacher preparation, research, curriculum innovation, extension services, and institutional partnerships, they can contribute to strengthening teacher quality, expanding specialized teacher education programs, promoting inclusive and equitable learning, and responding to regional workforce needs.

Challenges that the Regional Teacher Education COEs need to address

Shortage of Specialized Teachers

Severe Shortage of Early Childhood Education (ECE) Teachers

ECE specialists remain scarce across all regions. In some regions, ECE specialists account for only 0.008%–0.17% of the teacher workforce.

Critical Shortage of Special Needs Education (SNED) Teachers

Across all regions, the shortage of in-service teachers specializing in Special Needs Education represents one of the most severe and consistent workforce gaps. Several regions report only two to 13 SNED specialists in the entire teaching workforce. The Cagayan Valley Region has only one TEI offering a bachelor’s degree in SNED.

Underrepresentation of Values Education Specialists

Values Education programs are among the least offered teacher education programs. All regions report very low numbers of Values Education teachers. Several regions have only one to two TEIs offering BSEd Values Education.

Limited Access to Specialized Teacher Preparation Programs

Limited Availability of Specialized Teacher Education Programs

Specialized teacher education programs such as Bachelor of Culture and Arts Education (BCAEd), Values Education, and Special Needs Education remain limited across regions, indicating insufficient specialized teacher preparation opportunities nationwide.

Inclusive and Alternative Education Gaps

Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) and Inclusive Education Needs

Several regions have significant indigenous learner populations, particularly Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley Region, highlighting the need for culturally responsive and context-specific teacher preparation.

Multigrade Education Quality Concerns

Thousands of learners remain in multigrade settings across the regions, creating a need for teachers with specialized preparation in multigrade instruction and classroom management.

Low Alternative Learning System (ALS) Coverage for Out-of-School Youth (OSY)

ALS participation remains low despite large out-of-school youth populations. Coverage ranges only from about 8% to 18% of OSY populations across regions.

Teacher Workforce and Deployment Challenges

Variation in Teacher Availability Across Education Levels

Several regions show higher teacher-to-student ratios in Senior High School than in elementary and Junior High School, indicating greater staffing pressures and uneven teacher deployment across education levels.