Amid steep inflation and mounting teaching expenses, a federation of teachers is asking the Department of Education (DepEd) to “exhaust all ways and means” for the speedy and trouble-free release of delayed communication expense refund and benefits - which education workers have long been anticipati
Published January 11, 2021, 4:13 PM
“It’s measly and yet so difficult to get it.”
This is the complaint of teachers regarding the communication expenses reimbursement worth P300 a month for those who performed the duties from March to December this year. (Jansen Romero / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC), a 30,000-strong group, said that it has been getting calls about the diffculty in reimbursing the communication allowance as announced by the Department of Education (DepEd).
“We share the sentiments of our fellow teachers about the policy of DepEd on reimbursing the communication expenses,” said TDC secretary-general Emmalyn Policarpio said in Filipino.
To ensure the quality of self-learning modules (SLMs) being used in the modular distance learning modality, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued guidelines on the evaluation of SLMs, particularly those that will be used by students in the coming grading periods.
Published December 30, 2020, 7:47 PM
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced the implementation of distance learning, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday lauded President Duterte and the Congress as the budget for teaching and connectivity allowances were increased to P5,000 to assist public school teachers and students.
The General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2021, which was signed by Duterte last Monday, increased DepEd’s budget allocation for teaching supplies and communication allowances of teachers from a measly P3,500.
In a statement, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the increase in the provision of additional allowances for teachers starting next year was a fulfillment of their request to the lawmakers and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to finance the stakeholders’ needs for the continuity of the distance learning.
The implementation of distance learning on a massive scale is a first for DepEd. DepEd data as of Nov. 11 showed that there are 25.05 million students enrolled in combined public and private schools, and inclusive of non-formal education (Alternative Learning System or ALS).
The reduction in enrollment was mainly in private schools, where enrollment reached only 51.7% (2,226,292) of last year’s enrollment.
Enrollment in public schools for formal education increased by 2.4% .
Distance learning is considered a major component of learning delivery for this school year. This involved developing new learning resources, including printed and digital modules, online learning where available, and supplemented by television and radio-based instruction.