By Daniel P. Tapaoan, Jr. 

Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) around the world virtually convened in the first-ever international conference hosted by the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) to present their best new normal practices. 

With the theme “Learning Management and Practices in Teacher Education Institutions During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the first International Teacher Education Conference (TEC) served as a benchmarking platform among the participating schools. 

This was organized by the MMSU College of Teacher Education (CTE) and External Linkages and Partnerships (ELP) last December 8-9 via Zoom and Facebook live. 

More than 1,000 lecturers, academicians, and students from various universities, agencies, and organizations in the Philippines, Indonesia, United States, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, China, Thailand, and Mozambique attended the virtual conference.

Specifically, the virtual event tackled the institutional and pedagogical responses to COVID-19 pandemic; TEIs’ new normal strategies and best practices; and pre-service students’ challenges and coping mechanisms in the new normal. 

In his keynote speech, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson J. Prospero E. De Vera III urged the TEIs to uphold access and equity in higher education and to consistently upgrade the competencies of teachers for them to facilitate critical and creative thinking, innovation, and 21st century skills among learners. 

He also lauded MMSU for coming up with the said conference, which “will clearly help our teachers cope and succeed in the new and better normal especially that we continue to implement flexible learning as a means to provide inclusive and accessible higher education in the Philippines.”

Dr. Mee Jay A. Domingo, ELP director, said the conference also stimulated the inception of joint action research and student exchange programs between the forum members, thus, strengthening their linkages and partnerships. 

“The pandemic has pushed us to respond to the post-confinement period and to identify key priorities and opportunities for future planning,” expressed Prof. Jeanette G. Dials, chief of ELP’s international faculty and student mobility.

For her part, MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis said, “we will craft the doable roadmap to align the HEIs programs and processes to sustainable development goals through the JPTI6 Sustainable Development Consortium (SDC) in partnership with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).” (StratCom)