Eastern Visayas needs 908 new teachers

TACLOBAN CITY—Eastern Visayas needs at least 908 new teachers when the school year opens on June 5, according to a Department of Education (DepEd) official.

Nanette Pla, chief of the planning office of the DepEd in Eastern Visayas, said filling the new teaching positions would reduce the shortage of teachers in the region.

At least 527 teachers are needed for elementary schools and 381 in secondary schools.

Pla has called on graduates who passed the recent board exams for teachers to apply in public schools where salaries are higher.

Leyte needs 187 teachers for elementary and 80 for secondary grades, while Northern Samar has a shortfall of 84 elementary teachers and 76 secondary school teachers.

Eastern Samar is short of 64 elementary teachers and 35 secondary school teachers, while Samar still lacks 52 teachers for elementary schools and 87 for secondary schools.

Southern Leyte has a shortage of 47 elementary teachers and 22 secondary school teachers, while Biliran needs 16 elementary teachers and 14 secondary school teachers.

Pla said the basic pay for new teachers had already been upgraded to at least P20,000 a month.

There are at least 22,000 teachers in elementary and 10,000 in secondary in Eastern Visayas.