Titles and Brief Synopsis of Professional Readings

Dole appeals to OFWS to come back, teach in PH

By: Julie M. Aurelio - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 02:27 AM January 21, 2017

The Department of Labor and Employment on Friday appealed to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are licensed teachers to return to the country and practice their profession as public school teachers.

The labor department’s appeal is in line with the Dole’s OFW reintegration program called “Sa ’Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir,” which allows OFWs who passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers to apply and be employed by the Department of Education (DepEd) as teachers.

“We aim to provide decent and sustainable work for returning OFWs as public school teachers,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

The program will cover OFWs who returned to the Philippines in the last three years and had teaching experience in the past five years.

Those who have no teaching experience at all, or those whose teaching experience was interrupted for more than past five years, will undergo an online refresher course.

Those interested may check www.nrco.dole.gov.ph, while online application forms are available at http://tiny.cc/ofwletpassers.

The DOLE’s National Reintegration Center for OFWs implements the program with the DepEd, Professional Regulation Commission, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Philippine Normal University.

Bello noted that the OFW reintegration program has been a good source of public school teachers for the DepEd.

“It has helped ease the country’s insufficient supply of public school teachers especially in the provinces and remote areas,” he said.

The program has also reunited several OFW families after years of separation.

The labor secretary pointed out that 19 OFWs who were licensed teachers have been employed by different public schools in Central Visayas.

The former OFWs used to work as teachers and household service workers in Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

They were hired for permanent positions with a Teacher 1 or Salary Grade 11 rank after having complied with all the requirements.

My Reflection:

Teacher is best white-collar job in our world. Without him/her, we will not learn all the fields we want to learn. But they have many problems that hinder to continue their profession.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) wants to came back in our country the teachers that works abroad. Because we have not enough number of professional teachers in our country. So, Secretary Bello wants to help the DepEd to solve the problem in number of teachers. In our country, there are over 20 Million students are enrolled in elementary and high school. But the saddest thing, we have only 700,000 teachers who were employed and teach in all schools in our country. Some teachers forced to work abroad because the income they take home was not enough to sustain the needs of their families. To relieve this problem, DOLE engaged a program named "Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma'am/Sir". They will help those OFW's who will come back to teach the students in our country. These people will undergo an online refresher course to refresh their minds in teaching their subject matter and the professional education. They will get the position of Teacher I if they will complete the requirements.

In our country we all know that we have insufficient supply of public school teachers especially in remote areas. This program can help to solve the problem but sometimes it can't. We cannot blame those who interrupted their career as a teacher in this country and work abroad. Because they wanted to have good life for their family and free from financial problems. I realized that if we are dedicated and love to teach, we can continue this profession. I also realize that the saying of my past teachers was real: "Hindi ka yayaman sa pagtuturo". I am amazed for all teachers that surviving on those problems that encountered and continue the teaching profession because they mind their future students. That's why I idolize them and we should praise them because they sacrifice their wants to teach their upcoming students every year.

Teachers finally get bonuses

By: Jocelyn R. Uy - Reporter / @mj_uyINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:35 AM December 29, 2016

Finally, the much-awaited performance-based bonus has been released to teachers in nine regions, including Metro Manila, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Five days after the DepEd issued a memorandum instructing its field offices to promptly prepare the payroll for the [bonus], nine regions have started to release the incentive as of Dec. 27 at 3 p.m.,” DepEd said on Wednesday.

Besides Metro Manila, the bonus has been released in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

DepEd said the release of the bonus for fiscal year 2015, ranging from P5,000 to P35,000, before the year ended eased worries that teachers would again endure delayed distribution of their well-earned year-end incentive.

DepEd urged other regions to immediately submit the pertinent documents to speed up the processing of their bonuses.

The bonus is part of the productivity-based incentive system under the Salary Standardization Law-3, wherein teachers and other employees stand to receive a bonus depending on the performance of their respective schools and personnel for a specific fiscal year.

The bonus is computed based on the schools’ performance.

My Reflection:

Teaching is the greatest profession in our world. Because without them, we will not reach the profession or job that we dreaming of. When they enter the school every day, they had some sacrifices to teach their students. So, the government should give a reward for all teachers in our country.

The much-awaited bonuses of all teachers were finally coming. The DepEd were releasing a memorandum to give bonuses for all teachers in our country. But the bonuses that they will have is based on their performance of the schools in teaching the students. We all know that Department of Budget and Management (DBM) releases many funds for the Department of Education (DepEd). Last year they release over 500 Billion Pesos for the mentioned department. I think they will use it to solve the problem in the status of education in our country nowadays. They will also use it to increase the salary and bonus of every teachers in public schools.

It was the good news for every teacher because all of them were wanted to increase their incomes and bonuses to sustain the needs of their families. We also knew that the teachers had loans and benefits and it decreases their income every month. I am happy that the teachers were got an enough importance from the government because of this much-awaited bonuses. As a future teacher, I was motivated to teach after graduate because I will reach this good benefit. It is good because this benefit (bonus) will push me to have a dedication to teach the 21st century students of our country.