THE second quarter of school year 2020-2021 is about to end and as it was started, the Department of Education (DepEd) relies much on a modality heavy on modules with a little bit of digital, radio-based instruction, television-based instruction, and blended modality. Given the said situation and the need to follow up on the condition of the learners, DepEd has increased the previous allocation of P3,500.
DepEd Undersecretary for Finance and DepEd Spokesperson Annalyn M. Sevilla in a Viber message to reporters said a cash allowance of P5,000 is allotted for teachers with a teaching load for the current school year as reflected in the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA 2021) with P4.37-billion allocation for this purpose.
Undersecretary Sevilla said that the appropriated P5,000 cash allowance shall cover the following: annual medical and physical examination expense; Internet and other communication expenses; and purchase of teaching supplies and materials, tangible or intangible, for the implementation or conduct of various modes of learning delivery.
Sevilla added that aside from the cash allowance given directly to the teachers, the department has funds for its Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), which includes the school and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), provision of self-learning modules, computerization program, and human resource development.
Moreover, for fiscal year 2021, the MOOE has an additional P4 billion on top of the P28 billion regular fund that would cover the purchase of face masks, face shields, alcohol, and disinfectants, among others.
It was also mentioned by Usec Sevilla that the budget for self-learning modules is P16.6 billion; for DepEd’s computerization program, P5.98 billion; and for human resource development, P1.8 billion.
This development will be good news to public school teachers who hold distance-learning classes because they are provided with budgetary support as mentioned earlier by Usec Sevilla. This came from the result of surveys conducted in the field and various meetings from schools up to the executive committee of DepEd Central Office.
Both houses of congress, the upper (senators) and the lower house (congressmen) passed said separate bills into law which was finally signed by the President which is now known as GAA 2021.
This Corner hopes that the said allocations to various lines of expenditures will lead to a better and improved approach to mitigate the impact of the pandemic towards our learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.