DepEd-NCR, NEAP lead financial literacy training for teachers
MANY Filipino teachers find themselves at risk of retiring not only without savings but also in debt because of lack OF financial LITERACY among others.
Department of Education (DepEd) National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Director Wilfredo Cabral thus immediately answered the call for a financial literacy program geared toward the training of teachers in all 16 composite cities and one municipality in Metro Manila.
“A lot of our teachers up to the time of their retirement are saddled with debt. Some seem to work just so they could pay up their loans, and that really is sad. So when I received the proposal for financial literacy training for our teachers, I did not hesitate, I agreed immediately. Once the teachers are trained and apply the principles to themselves, it would then be easy for them to teach their students, too,” Cabral said.
This he revealed during the Economic and Financial Literacy Week symposium at DepEd-NCR headquarters in Quezon City on November 11.
Organized by 1986 Summerhouse Publishing in collaboration with the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP), the event gathered teachers and academicians, financial institution executives, fintech experts, the media, and government officials led by Bukidnon First District Rep. Jose Manuel Alba, who introduced the initiative in Congress.
1986 Summerhouse Publishing Executive Director Rellyn Luces said that of all the regional directors they sent the proposal to, Cabral replied after only three days and agreed to the program
She said that as an authorized learning service provider (LSP), the company operates under NEAP. Its professional development (PD) programs are responsive to DepEd’s Sulong EduKalidad and aligned with the National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) Ambisyon Natin 2040: Matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay.
Project director Noel Kristian Espiritu explained that their threeday PD program on financial literacy and mental health is designed not only for teachers and school leaders but is also recommended for employees across all industries. Accessible online as a learning management system (LMS), they intend to conduct the training inperson when the situation already warrants it.
Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, in his message read by Espiritu, said that financial literacy is a prerequisite to a prosperous nation. Representing the Philippine National Police, an organization attached to the Department of the Interior and Local Government was Deputy Regional Director for Administration BGen. Jose Hidalgo Jr.
The PNP needs proper financial literacy perhaps even more because 90 percent of the police force have financial problems as against 70 percent of teachers.
“That could be the reason why a lot of police personnel get involved with criminal activities,” Espiritu said, based on his own research since 2019.
The same theme will be featured in the Ambassadors Summit International Conference on Innovation in Global Education Research in the New Normal on Dec. 9 to 12, 2022 in Bangkok, which gathers all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ambassadors stationed in Thailand and education stakeholders in the region.