Based on the Department of Education’s (DepEd) data this month, at least 865 out of 14,435 private schools nationwide that opened in the previous academic year suspended operations this year because they either had too few incoming students or their teachers transferred to public schools.
Photo credit: canadianinquirer.net
Most of the closed schools were in Central Luzon, while the rest were in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Western Visayas and Bicol Region.
The schools told DepEd that they might reopen next year if the situation improves, but their closures have already affected more than 3,000 teachers and 40,000 students this year, data showed.
On Sunday, Senator Francis Pangilinan urged the department to hire more teachers to ensure that positions funded under the current budget and the upcoming 2021 national budget are filled.
The best way to honor our teachers and non-teaching school personnel is to guarantee that they have jobs and that their welfare is protected,
Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan cited that under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 there is a P300-million allocation that the department can tap for one-time cash assistance to displaced teaching and non-teaching personnel in private and public schools. It is more important that that teachers have a regular source of income and are able to continuously practice their profession, he added.
Officials of DepEd told during the budget hearing that there are 988,567 positions of which only 932,760 are filled. They requested for an additional 10,000 posts under the proposed 2021 budget.
Sufficient human resources in the education system are as crucial these days, especially when we are embarking on blended learning,
Pangilinan said.
Additional budget for the procurement of learning modules should be pushed by the department. It is needed for teachers and non-teaching personnel to effectively carry out their task in both online and modular learning said Pangilinan.
This early, we have been hearing from DepEd officials about the lack of funds for printing of modules and the scenario of sharing of the printed copy among students. This has to be addressed as this could pose health risks to both the teachers and students,
Pangilinan added.
Knowing, too, how devoted our teachers are to their vow, it is not far-fetched that they would initiate producing the extra copies of the modules out of their own pockets. Our teachers deserve better treatment from the government,
he stressed.
Sen. Pangilinan encourages DepEd to increase funds for learning modules and hire more teachers
Reviewed by Issues PH
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September 28, 2020
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