The men and women in uniform who have a degree in education will be tapped by the Department of Education-Cordillera as volunteer teachers when the school year resumes under the new normal.
DepEd-Cordillera Director May Eclar said the para-teachers or volunteer teachers they plan to partner with for the implementation of the learning continuity program are graduates of education currently serving at the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire, and the Philippine Army.
Retired teachers and professionals are also welcomed as volunteer teachers.
Eclar, during the education stakeholders’ convergence memorandum of agreement signing on July 29, said this is to ensure volunteer teachers will be able to handle the learners well.
“Ang mga may background sa education ang kinukuha natin dahil may psychological aspect ang pagtuturo,” Eclar said.
She said they needed the assistance of these partner agencies for volunteer teachers since survey shows that only 60 percent of the parents can assist their children in learning. The rest said they are hard up in assisting their children due to unavailability of parents or guardian and the educational attainment of parents, among other factors.
BJMP-Cordillera Director Col. Roland Lee Ng Cael said around 20 percent of their force will be tapped to assist DepEd.
Cael said most of their personnel are licensed teachers while his office has also committed to assist the teachers in giving out modules to the learners in their respective areas.
Meanwhile, BFP-CAR Director Col. Roderick Esteban Ramirez said part of their advocacy is to teach children as junior first responders. He said they are also coming up with modules to teach children about first aid, fire suppression especially with the problem of forest fires in the region.
Gen. Henry Doyaoen of the Army’s 503rd Infantry Battalion said they are currently assisting the DepEd when it comes to logistics especially in the far-flung areas of the region.
Doyaoen has assured the safety of teachers as well as other personnel tasked to bring the learning modules of learners to their homes.
DepEd-Cordillera has reached 86 percent of its targeted enrollees for the region as of July 28. The agency has enrolled 324,000 learners out of the 420,000 learners enrolled from public and private schools last school year. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 19, 2024
