AFTER the rigors of distance learning, perennially underpaid public school teachers now have to use personal resources to retrofit classrooms in preparation for face-to-face classes.
Teachers Dignity Coalition chair Benjo Basas on Tuesday cited reports of teachers having to take out loans in order to buy paint, iron sheets and glass panes to get their classrooms ready.
He said teachers were not only providing free labor for the enhancement of their classrooms but also soliciting funds from private donors to buy the materials needed for face-to-face classes.
The Department of Education (DepEd) acknowledged the teachersâ added burden and advised them to coordinate with their respective school heads for possible reimbursement.
âWe confirm that there are teachers who are doing beyond the regular work for beautifying, enhancing and putting more things in the classroom,â Annalyn Sevilla, DepEd undersecretary for finance, said in a Tuesday press briefing.
Apart from the regular funds for maintenance and other operating expenses, the DepEd has provided an additional budget of close to P1 billion to support the expansion of in-person classes nationwide.
There are items that can be reimbursed, such as supplies, under the departmentâs budget and accounting rules and regulations, Sevilla said. Thus, teachers were told to approach their school heads to discuss the existing policies.
But Basas was skeptical. Responding to Sevillaâs statement that teachers could reach out to school heads to talk about reimbursement, he said: âCan they really reimburse [the teachersâ expenses]? Teachers are willing to spend, but they should not be given false hopes.â
As of April 5, 17,254 public and private schools have begun conducting face-to-face classes, according to Education Secretary Leonor Briones. (©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2022/ Jane Bautista)
