|
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Roperos: Graft at DepEd?
By Godofredo M. Roperos
Politics Also
IN a chance encounter with some grade school teachers in an uptown mall recently, and later in an informal lunch in town the other day, I received an affirmation of a long-held belief.
Some government workers who are concerned with the debilitating reputation of the Philippines as a most corrupt nation suggested that if the Arroyo administration truly desires to fight graft and corruption, she should start in the education department. It is where standards of morality should really be a basic norm of behavior.
On this ground, I have long felt that the President’s lifestyle check program on public officials should not be limited to people in the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. It should be done more vigorously on the officials of Department of Education (DepEd) down to the district supervisor and school principals.
Education is the key distribution center and dealer of the country’s basic standard of morality and traditional proper conduct and good behavior to our young. What they learn, hear, and observe from their teacher and other school officials are what would be the basic structure of their moral values as they grow into adulthood.
It is thus very important that they are shown not only a truly upright role model among their teachers and community leaders, but also a package of learning to guide them through life. It is important that the teachers and their wards in the classroom should exist in an atmosphere of unsullied morality as our classrooms used to be before.
As it is, there are talks even among members of media that some school officials are selling teaching positions to applicants from P10,000 to P30,000. I cannot, of course, believe this. But I also recall my public school teacher mother’s favorite and overused expression: “If there’s smoke there’s fire.” But the idea is unconscionable to say the least.
But then, there are any number of tales told about this that tend to prove the veracity of these talks, which could only be proven or belied through a lifestyle check on DepEd officials.
There is, for instance, what some teachers pointed out as a most ridiculous situation in the department concerning the national board exam for teachers. The results has reportedly been rendered inutile by a locally devised set of criteria that gives division level officials the power the to appoint even if the appointee did not pass the board.
I recall, though, having written about this last year, as a way of clarifying then why some applicants were extended assignments over others who have just passed the board or did not pass at all.
They were appointed just the same, because of a different set of qualifications contained in a law passed by Congress such as being resident of the village he or she was appointed to. This supposed provision overruled the law that provides the board exams for teachers. It also gave the leeway for corruption.
What is demoralizing is that the conflicting DepEd policies is costing the government and would-be teachers a lot of money, and all for nothing since the results are “overruled by another law.” This gives rise to the sneaky suspicion that many DepEd officials are making a lot of money from the policy loopholes.
The sad thing about it is that even the rank-and-file personnel of the DepEd we have talked to in recent weeks believe the talks.
These rumors mill are most unflattering not only to our education system, but more so to the so-called reputable officials who are in the system.
(June 14, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
