Teachers ask gov't to fill 10,000 vacant teaching posts

A teachers’ group on Wednesday called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to fill the thousands of vacant teaching positions in the country ahead of the full resumption of face-to-face classes.

In Maki Pulido’s report on “24 Oras,” the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT-Philippines) urged the DepEd to employ 10,000 teachers based on its 2022 National Expenditure Program before November.

It also asked the DepEd to hire 100,000 more teachers, saying there are only  currently 800,000 educators catering to the 24 million students in the country.

“Hindi pwedeng maging siksikan ang ating mga silid-aralan. Hindi maaaring ‘yung ating mga teachers ay mag-handle ng same na bilang ng mga estudyante kagaya nung bago mag-pandemya. Kailangan at least half ng current na mga guro ay maidagdag sa teaching personnel natin upang magawa ito,” ACT Philippines secretary general Raymond Basilio said.

(Our classrooms should not be congested. Our teachers cannot go back to handling the same number of students they were teaching pre-pandemic. At least half of the current number of teachers should be added to our manpower.)

Basilio stressed teachers must focus on their students to bridge the “learning gap” brought about by online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

GMA News sought the statement of the Education department but it has yet to respond as of press time.

Earlier, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition pushed for the deferment of the opening of classes from August to mid-September or the first week of October to give teachers leeway to rest and prepare for the coming school year.

Likewise, the group reiterated its appeal to have a discussion with Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte.

“‘Yan po ang dahilan kung bakit kami humihingi pa sana ng mas mahaba pang oras para sa paghahanda,” said (TDC) National Chair Benjo Basas.

(That is the reason we’re asking for a longer time to prepare.)

The DepEd earlier said it had relayed the said issues to Duterte. It also said it will allocate a bigger budget for its regional offices to prepare for the in-person classes.

“Nabanggit niya na..siguro mag-schedule na siya ng isang araw upang magkaroon ng pagu-usap sa mga lider ng ating mga teachers,” DepEd Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said.

(She mentioned…maybe, she would schedule a discussion with the leaders of teachers groups one of these days.)

For the private institutions that are geared toward blended learning, Densing said the department had already answered the letter of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines. He also said private schools still have adequate time to prepare as the full physical classes will start on November 2.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News