UniTeam senatorial candidate Herbert Bautista on Tuesday urged the government to hire more teachers as more schools prepare for the resumption of face-to-face classes.
Bautista, a former Quezon City mayor, said the government should now go full blast in their preparation especially if in-person classes will become nationwide next school year.
The former local chief executive said school authorities should start hiring teachers, buying books and equipment, noting that the government only has 18 weeks left to prepare the 47,612 public schools nationwide for the August opening of school year 2022-23.
“Lumiliit ang window of opportunity (The window of opportunity is getting small)...Preparations for our children’s education should be as focused as preparations for the national elections,” Bautista said in a statement.
He, likewise, pointed out that if Covid-19 case would continue to be low, it would eventually “end the longest physical closure of schools in our history.”
But according to Bautista, the 24 million public school returnees should not go back to schools “with deficiencies the pandemic has worsened.”
The Department of Education (DepEd) should spend “without delay” the funds appropriated for it under the 2022 national budget, he pointed out.
“Kailangan may sapat na bilang ng classrooms at teachers, bagong libro, at mga kumpletong kagamitan (There should be sufficient number of classrooms and teachers, new books and complete equipment),“ he said.
“For example, the DepEd has in its disposal P3.18 billion for new classrooms and laboratory this year,“ said Bautista.
On top of this, he noted, is a P1.03-billon allocation for the repair and renovation of schoolbuildings. He also said there is P1.12-billion earmarked for the procurement of school desks and furniture.
“Merong pang pondo ang DepEd na halos kalahating bilyong piso para health, sanitation and water facilities...Ang mga ito ay dapat nasa last stages na ng procurement (DepEd still has funds that are almost half a billion worth for health, sanitation and water facilities...all these should be at the last stages of procurement),” he pointed out.
Bautista also called “for the speedy acquisition of the items“ listed in the P1.5-billion fund to modernize “last mile schools,” which are located in poor and hard-to-reach areas.
But what should be given the highest priority by the government is the hiring of new teachers and the promotion of those whose assignment or length of service make them deserving of a salary bump.
He said DepEd has 990,995 authorized personnel positions, of which 46,632 are vacant.
“The recruitment should be year-round. DepEd is one job fair that never closes... Let us fill these (vacancies) with competent, qualified and dedicated teachers,“ the senatorial bet stressed.