VP Duterte: Hiring 30,000 teachers yearly ‘unrealistic, impossible’

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte. INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Monday said it is “unrealistic” and “impossible” to hire 30,000 public school teachers and budget P100 billion per year.

Duterte disputed the Alliance of Concerned Teachers’ (ACT) call that the Department of Education (DepEd) hire 30,000 teachers yearly until 2028 for an ideal class size of 35 students.

She said the group proposed “obviously deceptive” maneuvers to undermine the Marcos administration’s solution to education problems.

“The call could not be coming from a place of genuine concern for the future of our learners and the welfare of our teachers,” Duterte said.

“Instead, it is a call motivated by the group’s fascination for demands and goals that are unrealistic and impossible — placing the government in a precarious situation that will ultimately end in failure,” she added.

Duterte said ACT’s remarks sought to divert public attention from the NPA-initiated violence in Masbate.

“ACT Teachers, while silent about the NPA operations, apparently needed to come up with something outrageous to divert the public’s attention away from the damage that the NPA attacks caused to our Masbate learners,” she said.

Duterte said DepEd intends to hire additional teaching and non-teaching personnel this year. It is set to deploy more school administrative officers to complement its workforce and reduce teachers’ administrative tasks.

The government agency will also tap into available technology to address current challenges, she added.

“The Marcos administration will not be pressured, hoodwinked, or distracted by groups like ACT Teachers,” the Vice President said.

“Our objective is to eliminate elements that contribute to learning losses, effectively implement reforms, and exercise fiscal responsibility by using resources wisely through innovations and mechanisms that will improve learning,” she added.

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