DepEd needs 57,000 teachers

P100-billion budget sought for salaries, classrooms

MANILA, Philippines — Public schools need 57,000 more teachers and 113,000 new classrooms in the next three years to fill the current shortage as the student population rises, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Thursday.

DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin A. Luistro told the House Committee on Appropriations that P77 billion is needed to address the shortage in classrooms and P1.5 billion to hire 10,000 more teachers.

Luistro asked for P100 billion for these and other purposes, saying this will enable the DepEd to arrest the current shortages in two years. “With the current program, we assure the committee that it will be a two-year period,” he said.

The DepEd chief added that on October 5, the DepEd will present their concrete programs to address the shortages.

During the hearing, Nueva Vizcaya Representative Carlos M. Padilla expressed all-out support to DepEd’s resolve to address the shortages, which according to him, would be dealt with in six years.

“We give you our full support. You better convince the President, and the Department of Budget and Managament (DBM). We are praying for that. I hope it can be done in two years. If you ask me, it will be six years,” said Padilla.

The Aquino administration allocated P207 billion to DepEd, which is 18.5 percent higher than this years’ budget amounting to P171 billion.

About 90 percent of the 2011 DepEd budget will be allocated to its programs, 7 percent of which is for the retirement and life insurance payments  teachers.

Luistro said they would deviate from the “traditional way” of addressing the shortages, citing a push for public-private partnerships in solving problems. He called for amendments to several existing laws for the benefit of teachers and the educational system.

Among them are the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers or Republic Act 4670 and the Book Publishing Industry Development Act or Republic Act 8047. –CHARISSA M. LUCI, Manila Bulletin