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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider What, when, how?: DepEd urged to give 'definite plans, timeline' on addressing teachers' woes 

What, when, how?: DepEd urged to give 'definite plans, timeline' on addressing teachers' woes 

Published Feb 2, 2023 04:33 pm

A group of education workers asked the leadership of the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to provide “definite plans and timelines” for the commitments given to teachers as stated in the Basic Education Report (BER) 2023.

(DepEd file photo)

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines demanded for timeline on DepEd’s pledge of less workload, better benefits and promotion for teachers. In the BER 2023, delivered by Duterte early this week, the current DepEd leadership laid out plans to improve the working conditions of teachers.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/01/30/duterte-tells-teachers-hindi-po-namin-kayo-pababayaan/

ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua lamented that “they have repeatedly stated these pledges in the past seven months” since Duterte assumed the DepEd leadership. However, he noted that “we have heard no updates and developments on these” even in BER 2023.

“We were not impressed with the promises of giving support to teachers as we have not seen any progress on these in the past seven months,” Quetua said. “What we want to hear are concrete plans and definite timelines—what, when, how?” he added.

Quetua also lamented that there were also no consultations with the unions on many of the promises — except on the grant of teaching overload pay and creation of the Teacher Education Council.

ACT issued this demand as a response to the promises of Duterte to remove non-teaching duties, improve benefits and fast-track career progression of teachers when she delivered the BER 2023.

“Our teachers remain to be swamped with administrative duties, and with heavier teaching load at that, while the guidelines for the payment of teaching overload are still not finalized,” Quetua said.

“How many in the thousands of vacant teaching and non-teaching positions have they filled up in 2022? How many more will be created this year? Hiring adequate teaching and non-teaching personnel is the only way to unburdening our teachers of excessive workload, as the first step to enabling them to deliver quality education,” he added.

Quetua also pointed out that the deadline for the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Career Progression System, which is supposed to create new teaching items with higher salary grades, was in September 21, 2022.

“But we have not heard of any approved IRR until now,” Quetua said. “We have written to the DepEd our proposals for the implementation of this promotions but we have not received any response nor were we consulted on any draft,” he added.

Quetua also noted that DepEd promised of better benefits but teachers “have not even received” the Performance-based bonus for 2021 and the one-time rice assistance granted to all government workers before Christmas of 2022.

“Our 77 days of overtime work in SY 2020-2021 remain unpaid,” he added.

Likewise, Quetua said that the promise to provide free annual medical check up through coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) “does not even come close to the realization of the Magna Carta of Public School Teachers’ provision for free treatment for teachers.”

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deped education ber 2023 Alliance of Concerned Teachers
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