MANILA - Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Tuesday promised public school teachers that they will be given 30-straight rest days during the school break this academic year 2023-2024.

During the kick-off ceremony for the National Teachers’ Month in Tagbilaran, Bohol, Duterte said a memorandum will be released regarding this matter.

“We made sure that in this year’s school calendar, teachers will have 30 straight days of rest during the break without any DepEd activity that requires volunteer works. All activities with voluntary participation is scheduled after the said 30-day break,” Duterte said in her speech

“End of School Year Rites was already included into the official school days of the current school calendar,” she added.

Emphasizing the important role of teachers, Duterte also announced that they intend to increase the benefits received by teachers.

“With the vetted guidelines by both DBM [Department of Budget and Management] and the Civil Service Commission, we are requesting a higher allocation for teaching overload pay. We can never put a monetary value on your contributions to the country. Rest assured that we are committed to recognizing and compensating our teachers for their invaluable contributions. We will always advocate for teacher benefits as your champions,” she stressed.

DepEd is also working closely with DBM to approve the hiring of 3,500 administrative officers and 1,500 project development officers to help in the schools.

With this, soon the teachers will be relieved of administrative responsibilities, so they focus on enhancing the learning of pupils, Duterte said.

The DepEd secretary also vowed to provide teachers with assistance for their loans.

DepEd is about to sign a memorandum of agreement with the GSIS for an exclusive lane for teachers in all branches and a designated team to cater only to teachers’ concerns.

“Many of our school teachers are overly stressed about their financial insecurities. That is why we are regularly engaging with GSIS [Government Service Insurance System]. We are looking to address your concerns over accrued interests or arrears of your loans,” she said.

Moreover, DepEd will soon launch a website that will provide free legal aid for teachers for their loan contracts.

On promotion of teachers, Duterte also guaranteed an objective system for this.

“Wala nang palakasan. We are now developing an automated system for an objective selection in the hiring and promotion of teachers,” she said.

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