Teachers' group requests DepEd to assign some vehicles to remote public schools to aid distribution of modules

A teachers' group asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to assign some of the 437 vehicles purchased by the agency to public schools in remote areas to help in the distribution of modules and it will make the journey a bit safer against Covid-19. 

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said in a statement that DepEd purchased 254 Mitsubishi Strada trucks and 183 passenger vans. The trucks will be used by the agency's engineers for inspection.

However Benjo Basas, president of TDC, said that teachers who are not given any transportation or internet connectivity allowances, have also been going to remote areas almost on a daily basis to distribute modules they made, frequently at their own expense, to their students.

What buildings are they inspecting and how hard is it exactly to reach these schools? How often must they conduct inspections? If there is anyone who needs those vehicles more, it is the teachers,

Basas said.

Basas said that some teachers are lucky to received help from their local government but most teachers do not get any support from the agency.

Annalyn Sevilla, education undersecretary for finance, earlier explained that the DepEd was “not authorized” to distribute allowances for teachers because it was not included in the agency’s budget and they had to secure authorization from the Department of Budget and Management before they could set aside funding. DepEd also promised to give teachers allowances for internet connectivity but untill now, there's no update as to the amount that teachers would receive monthly.

No matter which angle we look at, it is not right that the DepEd purchased hundreds of expensive vehicles while our teachers beg for financial aid just to produce modules for their students. Who is the DepEd’s real priority?

Basas said.