Public Education Agencies and DepEd criticized over dismissal or displacement of provisional teachers

Public education agencies from different regions has been condemned by The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) over the dismissal of provisional teachers and threats of displacement to some if they failed to meet a 100 percent turnout in the enrollment for the school year 2020 to 2021.

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According to ACT, thousands of provisional teachers has not been renewed by public education agencies in Regions 1, 4-A, 7, 12, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). There were also other teachers who were reportedly threatened to be transferred to other schools by Department of Education officials in different regions.

ACT released a statement on Sunday disputing a complaint directed to DepEd on July 23. They strongly denounced that using threats of displacement and dismissal from work against its teachers are  "inhumane" and go against the requirement for more teachers in the implementation of the agency’s basic education-learning continuity plan in the middle of the worsening pandemic and economic conditions.

“This is the latest in DepEd’s string of deplorable moves as we face the COVID-19 pandemic and the insecurity the government’s failed response has caused on people’s lives, livelihoods, and rights. Adding now to the record-high unemployment stats are thousands of provisional teachers who were laid off in violation of RA 10533, and amid shortages in teachers who are tasked to deliver DepEd’s BE-LCP,” said ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio.

Teachers are allowed to render service up to five years while they are still waiting to pass the Licensure Exam for Teachers under Section 8 (a) of Republic Act 10533 or the act that overhauled the Philippine basic education system and introduced the K-to-12 curriculum said ACT.

However, those who were recently dismissed by DepEd have only been in service for three years. On the contrary, the transfer of teachers who don’t meet their “enrollment quota” will violate Section 6 of RA 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, ACT added.

The group also reiterated that DepEd should be working towards strengthening the education system, as flaws had been laid open during the health and economic predicament because of COVID-19.

“Education’s frontliners are teachers and staff, and currently we don’t have enough to meet the mounting demands of the service in the midst of the pandemic. It’s only reasonable and just that these provisional teachers be reinstated, and more teachers be hired to optimize our learning machinery. DepEd can start by absorbing retrenched private school teachers, while also fulfilling the requisites to enable current teachers to perform their work,” said Basilio.