MANILA, Philippines - Local government units (LGUs) have expressed disappointment over the failure of the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide public school teachers in new school buildings.
Ormoc City Mayor Eric Codilla cited the case in his city, where many of the 288 newly built classrooms cannot be utilized due to lack of teachers.
“We have prioritized education in out budget and have alloted funds for the construction of classrooms and school buildings for our public schools. But DepEd has failed to give us teachers to fill these classrooms,” Codilla told The STAR.
Codilla said they need at least 100 teachers.
“We are calling on DepEd to make sure they provide teachers so LGUs will not hesitate to allot funds to build classrooms,” he said.
Upon coordination with the DepEd central office, Codilla said he was promised at least 138 teachers before the election ban. “We hope they can deliver on their promise,” he said.
Codilla said DepEd should not also let partisan politics get in the way of hiring teachers.