Ceremonial Hall, Malacañan Palace
April 10, 2025
“The landmark reform embodies our commitment to ensuring that every Filipino teacher is equipped with the skills and tools needed to teach with depth, with clarity, and with purpose. It is a vital step towards raising the quality of education for our present and, most importantly, our future generations,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. after witnessing the ceremonial signing of the Joint Memorandum Circular Aligning the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Teacher Education Curriculum.
Signed between the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and CHED in Malacañan Palace on 10 April 2025, the Joint Memorandum Circular will ensure that the BLEPT accurately reflects the competencies required for effective teaching at various educational levels and fields of specialization.
“A key feature of this reform is differentiation. From now on, the licensure examinations for aspiring teachers will be conducted separately depending upon the field that they are practicing. This means distinct examinations for those pursuing careers in elementary education and those in secondary education. For elementary education, the focus will now include two vital specializations: Early Childhood and Special Needs Education…As for the secondary education, the specializations include English; Filipino; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Values Education; Technology and Livelihood Education; Technical-Vocational Teacher Education; Physical Education; as well as Culture and Arts Education,” the President highlighted.
Furthermore, the revised structure of the BLEPT will now consist of three (3) core components: professional education, general education and the examinee’s chosen field of specialization.
The Chief Executive noted that these changes will address the long-standing gaps in the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994, citing the dismal numbers of BLEPT passers in the past decade. From 2014 to 2024, an average of 36.33 percent of examinees passed the BLEPT at the elementary level while an average of 43.57 percent passed the secondary level.
“Through this Joint Circular, we are making that process more than just relevant, more responsive, more – to every single examinee. Alongside this, we are giving education graduates not just another shot – but we are giving them a good chance. Because what they learn should prepare them for the test that they are meant to take and the classrooms they are meant to lead,” President Marcos Jr. added.
A phased implementation of the revised BLEPT will be adopted starting in September 2025 to allow academic institutions and teachers ample time for preparation and development.
“Driven by our efforts, let us shape a Bagong Pilipinas where every teacher is empowered, every learner is equipped, no Filipino is left behind,” President Marcos Jr. ended in his message.
* * *