Editorial: Teachers and suicide

SunStar Davao graphics.
SunStar Davao graphics.

LAST week a teacher in Mabini, Compostela Valley committed suicide due to personal issues.

Fe Concepcion, 55, a teacher of Pindasan Elementary School in Compostela Valley, committed suicide inside the classroom’s comfort room on November 7.

Department of Education (DepEd)-Davao said the suicide of Concepcion was due to personal matters.

Concepcion is among the growing list of teachers committing suicide. With social media, news of these teachers would spread like wildfire over the internet.

Previous reports of teachers committing suicide would attribute their deaths allegedly due to the workload at school, others were due to depression.

The suicide among teachers is quite alarming. The rise of reports on suicide in the country in general is already alarming.

DepEd must act fast to help the people it hires. They cannot merely say that they are mourning over the death of a teacher or say that they will look into it or even tell the public that it was non-work related. The more they say that, the more they come out as apathetic towards the welfare of public school teachers.

They cannot say the lack of budget to provide some form of support or guidance system for teachers. They too cannot say that they employ a large workforce, therefore they are unable to meet everyone's need. They should be able to provide a sort of emotional, psychological, and spiritual support. It is their mandate as employers to care for the people they hire.

If it is too hard for DepEd to attend to the needs of its teachers, it could hire a third party to do it for them. As long as they are provided the support they need.

In a report by Philippine Star in August 2018, Deped undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said the agency will be looking into the string of suicides committed by teachers. She also stated that the agency will be implementing support systems for teachers who are experiencing depression or thinking of suicide.

However, this is not only for public schools. Private schools should also take care of their teachers too.

We hope the schools will be able to implement these support systems soon. Teachers are humans, they have emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical needs that must also be attended to.

***

Individuals suffering from depression and needing such assistance may call HopeLine Hotlines at (02) 804-HOPE (4673); 0917 558 HOPE (4673); and 2919 (toll-free number for all GLOBE and TM subscribers).

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph