Employees and stakeholder’s mental health, a priority of the Department of Education

The author is Admin. Assistant III at Bacolor South District Mario D. Sanchez

One of the significant sector the Covid-19 pandemic has been continuously affecting is the education. For two school years now, the Department of Education is currently implementing distance learning through modular and online means in order to deliver its mandate of providing quality education to its students despite the restriction of movement and face to face interactions. Being in the preliminary stage, this mode of learning has not been so easily carried out by both learners, teachers and parents. Considering limited capacity of both the department and its stakeholders in providing equipment for online learning and knowledge of some parents on academic aspects for those on modular learning, assuring the quality of education for the past two school years has really been a challenge.

For the past two years, probably because of the movement restrictions and workloads both the DepEd employees, learners and parents have to endure due to the distance learning, their mental health had taken a toll on them, in addition to the scare brought about by the Covid-19 virus. Most of them have experience stress evidently affecting the quality of their work, ethics and attitude. These difficulties were rightfully acknowledged by the agency, and have made several actions to address them with solutions which will not compromise the agency’s mandate in providing quality education amidst this pandemic we are into.

Aside from providing their teaching and non-teaching employees things for personal protection like face masks, alcohols and Vitamin C for additional protection while rendering services to the public, webinars relating to taking care of mental health were also provided for the past two years and are still continuously given until this time. This is to assure that all their stakeholders, including learners and parents who are playing crucial role in their children’s education are at their most sound mind and memory while carrying out duties and responsibilities related to distance learning. More so, to further attest that one of the agency’s priority is its employees and stakeholder’s mental health, it has recently implemented a oneweek academic break in order to give opportunity to everyone to reconnect and rest from all the stress the sudden surge of Covid-19 cases has brought, and help the students, parents, teachers and non-teaching personnel who caught the virus to recover and be on their best measure of health. Some schools were also reminded to extend helping hands and offer flexible schedule and workloads for those employees who are still in quarantine and isolation due to existing symptoms relating to Covid-19 to avoid further scare in their workplaces.

As the agency continuously implement distance learning and is gradually transitioning to limited face to face classes for regions with minimal to no Covid19 cases, the public is always assured that it will always implement adherence to minimum public health standards set by authorities and will monitor the mental health of its stakeholders to provide all necessary interventions when deemed necessary.

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The author is Teacher III at Sto Nino. Elementary School, San Luis District