When Education Secretary Leonor Briones in July announced that the Department of Education (DepEd) is planning to hire para-teachers to help students who might need support as the education system shifts into distance learning, many individuals have expressed their intention to apply.

Interested applicants range from retired teachers, teachers who were displaced from private schools that have suspended their operations, as well as those who have lost their jobs.

In this week’s “Handang Isip, Handa Bukas” press briefing, DepEd released the proposed guidelines on hiring assistant teachers or formally called as “Learning Support Aides” or LSAs.

What is an LSA?

DepEd Undersecretary for Planning Jesus Mateo explained that LSAs are “qualified individuals who can work together with a teacher” to provide learning opportunities using various learning delivery modalities that promote achievement and progression of students.

“They are expected to guide learners and households on the chosen learning delivery modalities, render assistance to the teacher in the lesson preparation and delivery, and monitor and track learners’ progress and achievement,” Mateo explained.

Mateo said that DepEd Schools Division Offices (SDOs) with identified need to hire LSAs will “prioritize and offer the position” to the existing teacher applicants for School Year (SY) 2020-2021 who were “not given permanent or provisional appointments due to lack of available plantilla teaching items.”

The remaining teacher applicants in the Registry of Qualified Applicants (RQA) for SY 2020-2021 and teacher applicants for SY 2020-2021 who did not meet the RQA cut-off score are also eligible to apply.

Mateo added that private school teachers “especially those who were displaced or who became unemployed, underemployed or who have lost their livelihood as a result of the pandemic” are also welcome to apply as LSAs as well as the LET passers in the locality and provisional teachers who became unemployed due to non-renewal of contract.

Mateo explained that “training, experience and eligibility” are not required for LSA applicants. However, they should at least be a Senior High School (SHS) graduate or have completed at least two years in college. 

They should also be at least 21 years old but not more than 59 years old and “preferably resident of the community  where the school is located” to prevent the community transmission of COVID-19.

Successful applicants will receive from P6,000 to P11,000 as monthly compensation depending on the minimum daily wage rates set by the National Wages Productivity Commission per region.