Teachers ask DepEd on budget for school reopening

A teachers’ group has called DepEd on reports that teachers were paying for the expenses in classroom retrofitting because “if the classroom would not be improved, it’s the teacher’s fault.”

“There is nothing wrong with volunteering nor offering [financial help] sometimes but if it becomes more frequent, that’s exploitation,” Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) chair Benjo Basas said.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers also questioned the Department of Education (DepEd) on where the budget for school reopening was going.

“Our teachers are eager for in-person learning to resume as the learning crisis has reached alarming levels. However, it is not fair that they and their already too meager salaries are made to bear the burden of physically preparing the schools,” Basilio said.

The department said it allocated around P1 billion to finance the expansion of face-to-face classes.

A part of this budget will be utilized by schools to buy television, speakers and laptops in classrooms to support the blended learning approach, it said.