Sara commits to hire more teachers

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said the Department of Education (DepEd) intends to hire additional public school teachers every year, as part of its basic education recovery program.

In a chance interview with reporters after attending the Quezon City Police District (QCPD)’s flag-raising ceremony and celebration of Women’s Month yesterday, Duterte said that while the DepEd is still finalizing the total number of teachers to be hired in the upcoming school year 2023 to 2024, it was agreed that the department will be hiring additional teachers every year.

“We did our one-stop shop planning for the Department of Education, and we agreed that we will be hiring every year,” Duterte said.

Duterte said this is on top of other “tracks,” or teaching augmentation mechanisms, that the DepEd intends to pursue, such as the use of technology, including online classes and modules.

“There are also other tracks that we are pursuing to amplify the best teachers that we have, because we cannot hire all the manpower that we need,” Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The DepEd had earlier identified the shortage of teachers, classrooms, textbooks and other learning materials as among the problems besetting the basic education sector.

Meanwhile, Duterte yesterday lauded the QCPD for registering a decrease in Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) cases in the first quarter of 2023.

The QCPD recorded 59 VAWC cases from January to March this year, down from 77 cases in the same period last year.

Duterte said this could mean that there were fewer victims reporting abuse or that the QCPD was effective in its campaign against VAWC.

Duterte was the guest of honor at the QCPD’s flag-raising ceremony and celebration of Women’s Month.

In her speech, Duterte challenged men in uniform “to join the cause of bringing forward gender equality” in the communities.

“There is an open invitation for men to join the cause. And by joining the cause, you commit to cultivating peaceful, safer and more empowered communities that actively champion the welfare of the vulnerable sectors in society – including women and children,” she said.