CEBU CITY, April 10 (PNA) — The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) has passed a resolution requesting national government agencies to prioritize the employment of teachers and non-teaching staff who will be displaced during the implementation of the K to 12 program.
The resolution, sponsored by Cebu PB Member Thadeo Ouano, was addressed to Secretary Armin Luistro of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The K to 12 program provides one year in the kindergarten level, six years in elementary and six years in the secondary level, including four years of junior high school and two years of senior high school education.
The reform in the country’s educational system was implemented through Republic Act 10533, the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.
The program is aimed at providing students “sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.”
The nationwide implementation of the senior high school, Grade 11 and Grade 12, is set next year.
The Cebu PB said it is concerned that with no incoming first year college students for the next two years, teachers of first year college and non-teaching staff will have no work.
“With the present situation, all teachers for first year college will lose their jobs and become unemployed and we know for a fact that it is not easy to get a job even if you have an experience as a teacher,” part of the PB resolution read.
“The only solution to this upcoming problem is to give them priority in the hiring of new teachers for Grade 11 and Grade 12 and it is only the DepEd and the DOLE that can help them land in such jobs, so there is a need for commitment on the part of both departments for such undertaking,” it said. (PNA)