Angara to DepEd: Recruit capable teachers for K+12 program

By CARMELA G. LAPEÑA, GMA News

Published April 30, 2012 12:00pm

As the government prepares to begin its K+12 program in public schools all over the country in June, Senator Edgardo Angara urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to recruit capable teachers who can ensure the program's success. Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on education, said good teachers are key to achieving the goal of having smarter high school graduates who are well-prepared for college or work.

According to a report of Nimfa Ravelo on radio dzBB on Monday, Angara said data from the DepEd showed the country needs 99,628 more teachers.

Angara said this is a challenge not only for the DepEd but also for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which has a budget of P100 million this year for the training of teachers.

Angara noted that in rural areas, there was a lack of training for public school teachers who often have to handle subjects outside their expertise.

Citing statistics from the National Statistics Coordination Board, the report said fewer teachers underwent education, science and teacher training in the last 10 years.

Data from the Professional Regulation Commission and the Board of Professional Teachers, showed that less than half of the examinees who took the 2012 Licensure Examination for Teachers passed:

only 42.46 percent of some 33,000 examinees passed the LET for elementary, while
only 24.85 percent of some 7,000 examinees passed the LET for high school.

DepEd, in partnership with the Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) and the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), will be conducting training programs for science high school teachers in May.

Meanwhile, Alliance of Concerned Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said the K+12 program will not succeed if the government will ignore the other factors that affect the country's educational system.

According to a report of Manny Vargas on radio dzBB, Tinio said the education sector is facing several problems which prevent students from completing their elementary and high school education, such as:

the lack of schools and other facilities for students;
poor economic situation of the parents, and
the distance of schools from houses, making it difficult for students in remote areas to attend classes regularly.

Tinio noted that some DepEd programs have failed like the controversial noodles program. The Office of the Ombudsman last year ordered the preventive suspension of six DepEd officials who were linked to the controversial P427-million fortified noodle scam. The six persons faced administrative charges of dishonesty, grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, gross neglect of duty, and violation of reasonable office rules and regulations. - VVP, GMA News

Tags: angara, k+12, deped