DepEd to prioritize hiring private school teachers as tutors for distance learning

When the Department of Education (DepEd) starts hiring for its "para-teachers" or tutors for distance learning the department said it will prioritize the teachers from private schools who were severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Para-teachers will be the ones who will be assisting the students in going through their modules in their homes.

On August 24, in a virtual press briefing with Education Secretary Leonor Briones, she said that DepEd is currently working on the guidelines for the program. She said, 

We want to pursue this. I want this idea because realistically, we know there are mothers who are not ready [to teach their children] – not because they can’t but because they need to work and they have many concerns.

Para-teachers are expected to fill in the gap and provide the much-needed assistance to learners for them to be able to cope up with the new learning modality.

Briones noted the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already “gave an assurance” on the initiative.

Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations Jesus Mateo explained that in terms of prioritization the department is looking for para-teachers that reside in the same area as the student. It is to make sure that the possibility of transmission is low as they live in the same area and travelling will not be required.

DepEd, Mateo said, is still finalizing the guidelines to hire para-teachers or tutors. He said,

“We’re just refining, finalizing the guidelines based on the comments of ExeCom members and finally, from the CSC Civil Service Commission (CSC),”

Mateo said the major source of funding for this initiative is the Special Education Fund (SEF) lodged under the local government units (LGUs), as sourced from real property taxes collected by local government, regulated by the CSC, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and DepEd.

Another possible source of funding, Mateo explained, is the school Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) which is allocated for public elementary and secondary schools for activities and necessities that support learning programs.

With the low enrollment turn out of private schools this upcoming school year, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) is anticipating massive layoffs of academic personnel. According to the group there are 407, 757 teachers and staff who were affected during the first month of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

Meanwhile, a total of 440 private schools would be temporarily ceasing operations in the coming academic year due to lack of enrollees a lot of private teachers are expected to definitely lose their jobs.