MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) gave assurances Wednesday that it is taking steps to solve the faculty office issue at the Bacoor National High School in Cavite.
“The Department of Education is exerting all efforts to facilitate a solution acceptable to all officials and teachers in regard to the faculty room issue in Bacoor National High School-Molino Main,” DepEd said in a statement.
“Concrete steps have been undertaken to resolve any conflict, in the interest of orderly operations of the school,” it added.
This was after a teacher revealed in a Facebook post that they need to transform a comfort room to a faculty space.
READ: From old comfort room to new faculty room in Cavite school
DepEd explained that the issue stemmed from the school’s decision to move to single-shift classes this school year.
With 7,000 enrollees, the school needs to convert faculty rooms to classrooms to support the new policy.
DepEd said the principal met the teachers and “offered the library, the guidance center, and the advisory classrooms to serve as temporary faculty rooms.”
“However, 11 of the school’s 236 teachers opted to convert a restroom into a faculty room. It must be emphasized that the use of the restroom is the choice of the 11 teachers themselves who then complained about it in social media,” it pointed out.
To address this issue and other concerns, DepEd said it has included in its 2020 budget request to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) “the funding for an initial batch of buildings that will have space for principal’s office, faculty room, guidance room, library, and school supplies and equipment storage in times of calamities.”
The DepEd also reminded teachers and personnel that there are administrative procedures in addressing welfare concerns.
Meanwhile, ACT Teachers Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro earlier said the DepEd should solve the longstanding shortage in facilities, learning resources, and teaching and non-teaching personnel in public schools. (Editor: Eden Estopace)
READ: Solons to DepEd: Don’t blame teachers, solve school amenities shortage