Solon urges DepEd: Set a 2-week break to check teachers' health

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro urged the Department of Education to ensure an adequate health monitoring of teachers, after reports that over 50% of teachers in the National Capital Region are ill.

Castro cited a survey conducted by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers -NCR, showing that at least 55.3% of the teacher-respondents are manifesting flu-like symptoms.

The lawmaker raised concern over this figure of sick teachers in Metro Manila.

"These are very alarming numbers. What is the Department of Education doing to support our teachers during this time when many of their employees are sick?" Castro said.

"Do they even know the extent of the COVID-positive cases among DepEd employees?" she added.

She joined the call for a two-week health break for teachers so they can focus on themselves and their families amid the recent spike of COVID-19 infections.

"With this demand, teachers are also cautioning the DepEd not to give them webinars to attend during this health break so that they can really focus on taking care of themselves and their families," Castro said.

Castro said the survey also indicated that 84.7% of the teacher respondents are still working despite experiencing flu-like symptoms.

When asked if they receive assistance from their divisions or schools, Castro said the result of the survey showed that 76.2% of the respondents had indicated that they did not receive any form of aid. —LBG, GMA News