DepEd to continue engaging learning support aides in SY 2021-2022

The Department of Education (DepEd) has decided to continue engaging learning support aides (LSAs) in School Year 2021-2022.

DepEd issued Order No. 028, series of 2021 “to facilitate the continuous engagement of LSAs in schools”, and to extend the effectivity of DepEd Order No. 032, series of 2020.

DO No. 032 is known as the Guidelines on the Engagement of Services of Learning Support Aides to Reinforce the Implementation of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan in the time of COVID-19 (BE-LCP).

“In the coming school year, DepEd remains to be committed to the continued delivery of basic education services to learners and their communities amidst the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said in DO No. 028 dated Aug. 4.

“The Department recognize the need for a holistic approach and for a stronger partnership among schools, households, and communities to better support the learning process of the pupils/students at home; thus the services of the LSAs at the school level remain to be essential,” she stressed.

The engagement of LSAs in all public elementary and secondary schools including senior high schools, in SY 2020-2021 is guided by DepEd Order No. 32.

Under DO No. 28, the LSAs “shall be engaged for a minimum period of six months but not to extend beyond the end of SY 2020-2021, subject to renewal upon further assessment of their continued services guided by Part V(A) of DO 032 s. 2020.”

“If upon further assessment, the schools division office (SDO) identifies a need for additional LSAs in SY 2021-2022, the SDOs may hire their existing teacher applicants,” the memorandum read.

DepEd said SDOs with identified need to engage LSAs shall contact, coordinate with, and offer the position to the existing teacher applicants in SY 2020-2021 and SY 2021-2022 in order of priority:

-Remaining applicants in the Registry of Qualified Applicants (RQA) in both SY 2020-2021 and SY 2021-2022 who are not given permanent or provisional appointments due to lack of available plantilla positions; and

-Teacher applicants in SY 2020-2021 and SY 201-2022 who did not meet the cut-off score per existing DepEd hiring guidelines.

DepEd said interested teacher applicants shall no longer be required to undergo the selection process as stipulated in DO No. 032.

The department said if all existing LSAs and interested teacher applicants under the new DO have been considered and there is still a remaining identified need, "SDOs may start the recruitment and selection process for new LSAs pursuant to applicable provisions of DO No. 32.”

DepEd said for continuous and harmonised reporting and monitoring, the engagement of services of LSAs shall be reported through the Regional Progress Monitoring Report on the implementation of BE-LCP.