The Reasons Why Educators Should Continue Professional Development

The Professional Regulation Commission recently came out with the “Revised Guidelines on the Continuing Professional Development Program for all Registered and Licensed Professionals” through Resolution No. 2013-774 series of 2013. The resolution adopted by the PRC is a revision of the guidelines on the Continuing Professional Education Development which is now known as “Continuing Professional Development Program Guidelines” or the “CPD Guidelines”. Starting August 10, 2013, the effectivity of the resolution, it has these objectives:

1. Continuously improve the quality of the country’s reservoir of registered professionals by updating them on the latest scientific/technological/ethical and other applicable trends in the local and global practice of the professions;
2. Provide support to lifelong learning in the enhancement of competencies of Filipino professionals towards delivery of quality and ethical services both locally and globally;
3. Deliver quality continuing professional development activities aligned with the Philippine Qualifications Framework for national relevance and global comparability and competitiveness.

According to Salandanan, (2007), educators define teaching as an aggregate of organized instructional methodologies aimed at achieving a desired learning objective. As a moral activity, teaching is a way by which positive attitudes and values are inculcated. It emphasizes that teachers should adhere to the professional and ethical principles embodied in the teachers code of ethics.

According to the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994, teaching has become a genuine profession. It is at par with professions like medicine, law, nursing, engineering and the like. The Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers, Article IV, Section 3 states that  every teacher shall participate in the continuing professional education program of the Professional Regulation Commission and shall pursue such studies that will improve the efficiency, enhance the prestige of the profession , strengthen his competence, virtues, and productivity in order to be nationally and internationally competitive. This provision justifies any faculty development program of certain institution (Resolution No.435 s.1997 from R.A. No.7836).

To continue growing professionally is an important commitment of a teacher in his profession (Lardizabel, et.al. 1995). Teachers have to keep abreast with all that is happening in his profession. There are changes and newer developments in education which a teacher has to keep up.

Golding and Jasper (2006) state that professional development is a moral obligation to maintain and improve professional competence, to enhance career progression, to keep abreast or new technology and practices.