'Let them rest': Makabayan solon asks VP Duterte to hear pleas of teachers

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Wednesday, July 13, raised concerns that public school teachers won’t be getting enough rest after the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that the start of regular classes will be on Aug. 22.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said that although classes ended last June 24, many teachers are still swamped with paperwork from last school year until today.

She lamented that very soon, the teachers would have to prepare for the enrollment season, which DepEd said would start on July 25.

“Wala sa nasabing department order ang pagbanggit sa sapat na kompensasyon para sa pagpapapasok sa mga guro sa kabila ng sa mga panahong iyan ay dapat nakabakasyon ang mga teachers natin (The department order made no mention of compensation for the teachers who will render work despite being eligible for vacation during that time),” Castro stressed.

DepEd Order No. 34 series of 2022 laid out the calendar year for School Year (SY) 2022-2023.

According to the department order, enrollment will begin on July 25, while Brigada Eskwela will be conducted from Aug. 1 to 26. Oplan Balik Eskwela will be on Aug. 15, while classes will start on Aug. 22. The end of classes is slated on July 7, 2023.

READ: SY 2022-2023 to formally begin on Aug. 22, says DepEd

Castro said this schedule left teachers with no vacation despite them being eligible to the Proportional Vacation Pay (PVP), or the two-month paid vacation period teachers receive in lieu of leave benefits.

“Hindi na sila nakapagpahinga, wala pang kasiguruhan na sapat na mababayaran sila sa labis na serbisyong binibigay nila (They didn’t have time to rest, yet there is no assurance that they will be compensated fairly for the services they rendered),” she added.

The lawmaker called on education chief Vice President Sara Duterte to look into the matter and hear the teachers’ pleas.

“Marinig sana ang mga hinaing ng ating teachers ni DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte at mabigyang aksyon ang panawagan ng ating mga public school teachers (May DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte hear our teachers’ concerns and give action to the pleas of our public school teachers),” Castro said.

READ: DepEd releases guidelines for SY 2022-2023

She stressed that public school teachers should not have to go through the same thing that happened during the SY 2020-2021 when they merely received a “thank you” and no compensation for their overtime work.

She asked DepEd to reduce the amount of paperwork teachers need to submit, and to include in the school calendar year the extracurricular activities that teachers have to attend to, such as graduation rites, distribution of cards, recognition day, and other school-related activities.