Gov’t needs .2 M teachers, health professionals

The government needs to hire 234,542 additional public school teachers and health professionals in connection with its plan to boost infrastructure by building more schools and to improve the delivery of medical services to the poor.

Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said the Department of Education (DepEd) is set to hire 181,980 teachers starting

2020, while the Department of Health will recruit 52,562 health practitioners starting this year until 2022.

The public sector’s projected demand for teachers and health professionals were culled from papers submitted by the Cabinet to Congress in connection with the Duterte administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Program.

“We are releasing these figures to help graduating high school students as well as first year and second year college students to decide what courses they may take or shift to if they are considering future employability in the public sector,” Campos explained.

This year alone, DepEd is spending P15.5 billion to fill up 53,831 new teaching positions.

“The fastest-growing profession in the years ahead will be teaching, as DepEd steps up hiring to cope with the demands of a rapidly expanding public school system. The need for Math and Science teachers in particular will be exceptionally strong,” Campos said.

Excluding benefits and allowances, teachers in public schools now receive a monthly salary ranging from P19,077 for entry-level Teacher I (Salary Grade 11, Step 1) to P39,768 for Master Teacher III (Salary Grade 20, Step 1). –