Teachers picket at DepEd

MANILA, Philippines—Some 50 teachers held a protest rally at the Department of Education’s Central Office in Pasig City Monday afternoon to question the implementation of the government’s kindergarten program amid shortages in critical resources.

“We are teachers, not carabaos,” said Araceli de Ocampo, president of the Manila Kindergarten Teachers Association, in a protest amid stifling midday heat outside the DepEd compound.

Teachers are demanding the regularization of some 38,000 teachers working as contractuals to man kindergarten schools. DepEd estimates that some 1.9 million kindergarten students will go to school this year as government expanded the pre-school program to kick off its flagship Kindergarten Plus 12 program.

“Maybe President Aquino and Secretary Luistro (Education Secretary Armin Luistro) should go back to kinder to understand the situation,” said Benjie Valbuena, vice president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

He said DepEd was rushing the K+12 program despite shortages in critical resources, including classrooms, teachers and funds.