ALLOWING GRADUATES OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION (BSEED) WITH EIGHTEEN (18) UNITS OF LIBRARY SCIENCE TO TAKE THE LICENSURE EXAMINATION FOR LIBRARIANS

WHEREAS, one of the qualifications that must be possessed by an
applicant for examination as librarian as required in par. d (3) Sec. 13
of R.A. 6966 is that the applicant must be a Bachelor of Science in
Education degree holder with major/specialization;

WHEREAS, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECS) now
Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) issued MECS Order No.
26 dated November 26, 1983 (Re: Policies and Standards for Teacher
Education) and MECS Order No. 37, s. 1986 (Re: Amendment to MECS Order
Education Curriculum;

WHEREAS, the Teacher Education Curriculum has included a content
area of specialization components that will equip the teacher with
greater and in-depth knowledge of the contents and skills in the field
of specialization.

WHEREAS, to equip the teachers with the skills in their field of
specialization, the Philippine Normal College (PNC) now Philippine
Normal University (PNU) adopted the library Science Specialization
Program which was started in 1957 in response to the demand of the
teacher-librarians employed in public elementary and high schools to
prepare them for library duties and responsibilities and make them
capable of managing the schools’ libraries;

WHEREAS, the then PNC (now PNU) Board of Trustees on March 27, 1957
approved a Library Education curriculum for Bachelor of Science in
Elementary Education (BSEED) for students with eighteen (18) units of
Library Science subjects which later on was increased to twenty-one (21)
units and the completion of which entitles a student to a certificate
in Library Science;

WHEREAS, this program was later opened to BSEE graduates who are
already teaching and may want Library Science as their field of
specialization and those who complete the program are given the
certificate and the transcript of records;

WHEREAS, under par. d (3) of Sec, 13 of R.A. 6966, only holders of
Bachelor of Science in Education with major/specialization in Library
Science are allowed to take the examination for Librarians and the said
provision failed to include holders of the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Elementary Education with specialization in Library Science or have
completed the PNU Library Science Specialization Program and are,
therefore, qualified to take the examination;

WHEREAS, these elementary teachers who have been designated as
teacher-librarians to manage these elementary schools’ libraries
established pursuant to the DECS Order No. 6, Series of 1998 (Re:
Policies and Programs for School Library Development) have been
approaching members of the Board requesting them that they be allowed to
take the Licensure Examination for Librarians pointing out that they
are as much qualified to take the licensure examination as those in the
secondary level.

WHEREAS, the clamor of these elementary school
teacher-librarians-has become urgent when the proposal of the Secretary
of Education, Culture and Sports for the creation of school librarian
positions in the DECS were included in the approved General
Appropriations Act for year 2000;

WHEREAS, included in the group clamoring to be allowed to take the
licensure examination for librarians are the non-teachers who are
holders of BSEED degree and have taken 18/21 units of Library Science
under the Library Science Specialization Program;

WHEREAS, the Board believes that this group clamoring to take the
librarian licensure examination who are non-teachers are qualified to
take the librarian licensure examination and should be admitted to take
the examination.

WHEREAS, it would be a continuing injustice committed against these
elementary school teacher-librarians who have taken a curriculum albeit
in the elementary level with specialization in library science if they
are not allowed to take the licensure examination for librarians for the
failure of the law to include the BSEED degree holders with
specialization in Library Science, when there is a clear intention to
include them;

WHEREAS, it has been held that” . . . . inasmuch as it is the
intention of the legislature which constitutes the law of any statute,
and since the primary purpose of construction is to ascertain that
intention, such intention should be given effect, even if it
necessitated the supplying of omissions, provided of course, that this
effectuates the legislative intention.” (Crawford, E., The Construction
of Statutes, 1940 ed., p. 269) and that “[T]he rule of ‘casus omisus pro omisso habendus est’
can operate and apply only if and when the omission has been clearly
established.” (People of the Philippines vs. Manantan, 115 Phil. 657.
[1962]).

WHEREFORE, the Board resolved as it hereby resolves to allow persons
who are graduates of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Elementary
Education (BSEED) with at least eighteen (18) units in Library Science
to take the librarian licensure examination.

This Resolution shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following
its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation in the Philippines, whichever is earlier.

Adopted: 01 Aug. 2000

(SGD.) SUSIMA L. GONZALES Chairman
(SGD.) LEONOR B. GREGORIO Member	(SGD.) LORETO. M. SERIÑA Member
ATTESTED:
(SGD.) CARLOS G. ALMELOR Secretary, Professional Regulatory Boards
APPROVED:
(SGD.) HERMOGENES P. POBRE Commission Chairman
(SGD.) ALFONSO G. ABAD  Associate Commissioner	(SGD.) AVELINA DELA REA-TAN Associate Commissioner