The Department of Education (DepEd) is hoping the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) will help fund its program meant to help out-of-work private school teachers as hundreds of private schools risk closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said the department hopes that the looming implementation of Bayanihan 2 will benefit displaced private school teachers.
“We are looking at the Bayanihan 2 and we are actively looking at the process of the implementation of Bayanihan 2 program to hopefully include this in its operationalization,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
“We are hopeful there is a portion of Bayanihan 2 that can be mobilized for this purpose,” the DepEd official added.
The Bayanihan 2 only needs President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature to become a law.
Malaluan added that some DepEd regional directors had reported that displaced private school teachers may be hired as teacher facilitators for the country’s distance learning program.
“In line of distance learning, there have been partnerships with DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) on the ground with the work assistance to the teachers,” he said.
Some 440 private schools have said they would temporarily shut down operations for school year 2020 to 2021 due to the low enrollment turnout.
The DepEd had earlier said it expected fewer students to enroll in private schools as the pandemic affected the income of many families.
Photo courtesy of CNN Philippines
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