By Vanne Elaine Terrazola The Department of Education (DepEd) is working with the Department of Health and other concerned agencies to address the incidence of teacher suicides. At the deliberation of the proposed 2019 budget of the agency, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones was asked by Senate finance committee vice chair Sen. Bam Aquino for their disposition on the reported deaths of teachers due to suicide, which several groups had blamed on their workloads. Education Secretary Leonor Briones
(DepEd Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Briones, in response, said she has initially reviewed three cases of teacher suicides that happen in the past two years and found that they were triggered by "very unique" circumstances. "We do not consider ourselves as experts in what motivates a person to do this act. To look into these, we are coordinating with the Department of Health," she said. Briones, on the other hand , countered groups and said that it is "dangerous" to conclude that teachers commit suicide solely because of their workloads especially as depresssion, she said, is "very deep." A lesson plan, she said, cannot be a reason for suicide. "It has to be studied first before drawing such conclusion," she stressed. Briones, likewise, said not only teachers suffer heavy workloads. "Everyone in government is overworked and under pressure," she said. She said they have already reduced the workload of teachers, particularly on clerical works, to lighten their jobs. She added that they are currently studying how to further unload their tasks, but noted that they are hindered by a law which does not provide for non-teaching personnel to do share their work. Briones said the DepEd has also instituted programs to help teachers cope emotional stress, such as counseling, and cultural , music and sports activities. The DepEd, she emphasized, also need mental health doctors for teachers who seek help.