(a) "Teacher" shall mean all persons engaged in the classroom teaching of any subject, including practical/vocational arts, at the elementary and secondary levels of instruction including persons performing guidance and counseling, instructional supervision in all public or private education institutions, but shall not include school nurses, school physicians, school dentists, school administrators, and other school administrative support employees. Graduates of education who have passed the government examination for teachers although not actually employed as such, are hereby included in this definition.
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(b) "Teacher education" shall mean the pre-service education, in-service education, and graduate education of teachers, in various areas of specialization.

(c) "Excellence" pertains to the efficient, effective and innovative delivery of relevant, functional, and quality programs in teacher education, training, research and community service.chan robles virtual law library

(d) "Center of excellence" shall be a public or private college, institute, school or agency, engaged in the pre-service and continuing education, formal and non-formal, of teachers and top-notch educators, that has established and continues to maintain a good record in teacher education (in terms of number of graduates and their performance in the government examination for teachers and their professional achievement), research, and community service; whose graduates are models of integrity, commitment and dedication in education. The centers of excellence may exist by themselves or within a university or college.

(a) Experiment and try out relevant and innovative pre-service teacher education/training programs;

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(b) Organize and coordinate collaborative research on identified areas for systematic investigation in teacher education as basis for improving teacher education/training programs;chan robles virtual law library

(c) Serve as teacher resource center for curricular/instructional materials development;

(d) Serve as the center mode for networking specific data;

(e) Provide professional assistance to Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) that have expressed the need for such assistance;

(f) Encourage mutual support among TEIs in the region for upgrading their programs; and

(g) Facilitate and help expedite accreditation among TEIs.

(a) Three (3) representatives of centers of teacher education: one (1) from Luzon, one (1) from the Visayas, and one (1) from Mindanao who shall take into account the views of the parents-teachers and community associations, student associations, nongovernmental organizations, and people organizations concerned with basic education;

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(b) One (1) representative of science teachers;

(c) One (1) representative of mathematics teachers;

(d) One (1) representative of social studies teachers; and

(e) One (1) representative of language teachers.

(a) Integrity;

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(b) Expertise and experience in teacher education;

(c) Recognized as an expert, nationally or internationally; and

(d) Willingness to serve.

(a) To identify and designate among existing private and public schools, teacher education institutions as Centers of Excellence for Teacher Education, at the national, regional, and provincial levels;

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(b) To formulate policies and standards that shall strengthen and improve the system of teacher education in all existing public and private schools;

(c) Initiate a periodic review of curricula and programs for teacher education and training through participatory methods, such as self-assessment by institutions;chan robles virtual law library

(d) To adopt an adequate and effective system of incentives such as scholarship grants, loan programs, subsidies, stipends and other similar benefits and incentives, in order to attract and encourage outstanding high school graduates whether from public or private schools, to pursue teacher education;

(e) To encourage the establishment of consortia and other cooperative arrangements among teacher education schools, public or private, for greater efficiency and economy in the use of resources;

(f) Design collaborative programs or projects that will enhance pre-service teacher training, in-service training, re-training orientation and teacher development;

(g) To direct the conduct of relevant studies as may be needed in the formulation of policies and in the planning and successful implementation of plans, programs and projects required in attaining the purposes of this Act;

(h) To review existing and recommend new legislation and policies of the government in order to improve teacher education and promote the welfare of teachers;

(i) To recommend appropriate measures to the President, Congress, and heads of other government offices and agencies to improve, enhance and strengthen teacher education; and

(j) To call upon any department, bureau, office, or government corporation, local government unit and other concerned agencies for assistance in areas falling within their mandate.