Teachers: Will we end up as scapegoats if polls fail?

Short training period just won’t work, says group

MANILA, Philippines – With the postponement of the training for teachers who will serve during the automated elections, a group expressed fear that the teachers are being set up as scapegoat in case confusion mars the exercise or if it fails completely.

The Comelec announced that the training of teachers in operating the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines will start on March, less than 2 months before the May 10 elections.

Even the timetable for the training of Comelec personnel by technical experts has also been adjusted, from Dec. 13, 2009 to Feb. 3, 2010, to Jan. 14, 2010 to March 1, 2010.

“This is a new process, one that needs to be thoroughly understood and should not be haphazardly taught or hurriedly implemented,” said Fidel Fababier, secretary general of the Action and Solidarity for the Empowerment of Teachers (ASSERT).

Fababier highlighted the need for immediate training, especially “that not all teachers are familiar with computers, much less as tech-savvy as their students.”

Other concerns

He expressed fear that if the teachers don’t learn how to master operating the PCOS machines, they will be blamed for any chaos in the precincts.

“We fear that we teachers are being setup as convenient scapegoats, if in case there is confusion or worse in the coming polls,” lamented Fababier.

ASSERT is the second teachers’ group to complain that Comelec is not allotting enough time for the training of teaches on the new technology and procedures in the elections. The other was the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition.

“Teachers need to be confident they can be able to execute their sworn duty to uphold the sanctity of the vote,” ASSERT added in its press release, where it also called for enough security and proper compensation for teachers who will be serving as members of boards of election inspectors.

In an earlier interview, Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal gave assurances that the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be providing security to teachers, and that teachers will be receving good compensation packages for their involvement in the polls.

Command conference

Meanwhile, Larrazabal told reporters on Wednesday that the poll body will have a command conference on January 21 with the Department of Education (DepEd) to discuss the concerns raised by the teachers.

The conference, among others, will form a task force that will “ensure that the coordination between DepEd and Comelec is done in an efficient manner.”

Larrazabal added that an advance training of the core group of DepEd personnel will follow immediately after the conference.

The Comelec will be deploying 245,000 teachers to more than 74,000 clustered precincts all over the country. Each precinct will have 3 teachers who will sit as Board of Election Inspectors. (Reynaldo Santos Jr., Newsbreak)