The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has criticized the Department of Education's (DepEd) plan to create 5,000 non-teaching positions, arguing that it falls short of addressing the shortage of administrative officers in public schools.
According to ACT Chairman Vladimer Quetua, despite the addition of these positions, the total number of administrative officers would still only reach 47,665, insufficient to cover the over 47,000 public schools nationwide.
Quetua emphasized that this shortage would particularly burden schools with large student populations, leading to increased workload for education support personnel.
While the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved DepEd's request for the new positions, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman highlighted the aim to alleviate teachers from administrative tasks and enable them to focus on quality instruction.
The newly created administrative roles, with salary grade 11 for FY 2024, will be distributed to schools division offices and schools nationwide.
Quetua criticized the DBM's track record, noting a failure to adequately create teaching and administrative positions in public schools, which exacerbates the existing shortage.
ACT urged both the DBM and DepEd to establish annual targets to address staff shortages effectively and streamline the creation and filling of teaching and administrative positions.
They reiterated their demand for the hiring of 94,540 education support personnel with an entry-level pay of P33,000.
In a bid to enhance education through technology, the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) partnered with classroom technology firm Teachmint to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in selected private schools nationwide.
The AI-enabled connected classrooms, part of the Rethinking Education, Championing, and Accelerating School Transformation (RECAST) program, aim to revolutionize the teaching and learning experience by integrating Teachmint's proprietary software.
PEAC Executive Director Doris Ferrer highlighted RECAST's goal of supporting private schools in overcoming educational challenges by providing digital assistance.
Photo Courtesy: PhilStar Global
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