DoLE outlines aid for workers in HEIs affected by K to 12 change

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has released the guidelines for its assistance and financial programs for Higher Education Institutions (HEI) employees who will be displaced due to the implementation of the K to 12 program.

DoLE Department Order No. 152-16 (series of 2016), published in BusinessWorld on Thursday issue, details the components of its assistance programs: financial support, employment facilitation, and training and livelihood programs for HEI personnel, both private and public.

Under the said order, DoLE will offer financial aid based on the current median salary or the person’s previous monthly salary, whichever is lower, to qualified HEI personnel.

This can be availed of for three months for non-permanent employees and six months for permanent workers. The three months for non-permanent personnel can be extended for six months granted that the person has no other source of income, with the submission of the latest income tax return required for verification during the application process.

Government employees whose part-time teaching load is affected, as well as substitute teachers and professors with only a maximum three months’ tenure, are excluded from financial assistance.

The funds’ release schedule is every end of the month through the bank authorized by DoLE.

The employment facilitation component of the program covers DoLE tools and venues for labor market information such as Phil-JobNet, employment and job search kiosks, and industry career guides and pamphlets.

DoLE also offers referral and placement services as well career guidance and employment coaching.

A Program Management Office will be established at the DoLE Bureau of Local Employment, which will supervise the program implementation.

Implementation of the K to 12 program started in 2012, when elementary school students entered junior high school as Grade 7 students, starting the phase-out the four-year high school system in the Philippines’ education system.

Due to this change, college enrollment is expected to drop to almost zero this year and would not be expected to stabilize until 2022. — A. M. Monzon