DepEd, CHED ask Senate: Help teachers cope with COVID-19 impact
Education officials have appealed for help for thousands of educators in smaller private schools, universities and colleges who could be displaced due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the quarantine restrictions imposed during the national health emergency.
The top officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday said they fear for the teachers in private schools who might not be able to ride out the impact of the pandemic.
"We are also concerned about the private school teachers, but these are the small private school teachers. Kasi two months sila na walang [trabaho], kasi 'no work, no pay', so these months wala silang earnings (They have not been working for two months due to the quarantine, and because they are 'no work, no pay'
employees, they do not have earnings during these months),” DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said when asked by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto during the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the government's COVID-19 response and stimulus plans Thursday.
The DepEd estimated that about 263,000 private school teachers are affected, excluding those who were part of the agency's program for lowmaraming salaried private school teachers, and those from big private schools that have paid their teachers a year-worth of salaries to prevent their exodus.
Briones said over 50,000 of these teachers could lose their jobs.
"We really need help for them dahil sila itong mawawalan ng sweldo," she said.
CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera likewise said the delay in the opening of classes could also render jobless "a huge number" of instructors in private universities and colleges, particularly part-timers.
"Because the semester will be moved from June to August, there will be no tuition collection. 'Yong maliliit na private school na maiksi ang pisi, 'yon ang tatamaan (Smaller private schools with limited resources will be most affected)," De Vera said.
He said more than 50,000 part-time lecturers in public and private universities and colleges have also not been receiving wages during the quarantine period.
In addition, they did not qualify in any of the government's social amelioration programs amid the COVID-19 situation.
"'Yong mga SUCs na mas pera at private universities, binibigyan pa sila na dagdag na sweldo pero 'yong mas maliliit, hindi na sila paseswelduhin in the next coming months (Educators in state universities and colleges and private universities that are more financially able could still get additional salaries, but those in smaller ones might no longer be paid in the coming months)," De Vera said.
The same case applies to teachers in private schools, Briones said. "We are hoping that their plight will be given attention."
The DepEd and the CHED have submitted to economic managers and legislators the financial impact of the COVID-19 to schools and universities.
The executive department earlier floated a ₱130-billion economic stimulus plan to help the Philippines recover from the pandemic.
₱27 B needed for laptops
for distance learning
As distance learning becomes the major component of learning delivery this coming school year, the DepEd said at least ₱27 billion would be needed to provide all teachers in public schools a laptop each.
Briones, during the same Senate hearing said the department has already completed the Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) and “we’re getting ready for the implementation part.”
The BE-LCP, Briones said, is DepEd’s major response amid the COVID-19 situation in the country. “It will be distributed to regions for the regional implementation,” she said. “We are initiating blended or distance learning as well as the use of different approaches and various ways to reach the students,” she added.
To make this possible, Briones said the DepEd is eyeing to provide “laptops for all teachers.” As of last year, DepEd said, there were around 800,000 teachers nationwide.
Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua said in order to provide teachers the needed assistance for distance learning, particularly on the issuance of laptops, the DepEd needs funds for it.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, Pascua said DepEd will be purchasing 36,676 multimedia packages composed of laptops, televisions, lapel microphones, and speakers. This, he explained, is “in addition to the 54,350 laptops, 2,350 televisions, and 167,500 tablet PCs procured last year that are scheduled to be delivered this year.”
By end of FY2020, Pascua said 475,650 tablet PCs and 634,877 desktops/thin clients will be available for use by 21.4 million students or about 94% of the 22,746,855 public school students while 190,574 laptops will be available for use by teachers or 22% of the total DepEd teaching force.
Pascua also noted that the DepEd’s OUA-ICTS is “contemplating the home-use of these laptops and tablet PCs should face-to-face class interactions become impossible.”