GENERAL SANTOS CITY–The Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 12 hired some 3,000 additional teachers to address the needs of the area’s public schools for this school year.
Dr. Arturo Bayocot, DepEd Region 12 director, said the newly-hired teachers were deployed in their assigned schools in parts of Soccsksargen in time for the formal opening of classes on Monday. The region has nine school divisions.
DepEd-12 targeted an enrollment of around 1.4 million students this year from elementary to senior high school levels.
Bayocot said the deployment of the additional teachers was part of the agency’s continuing efforts to cope with its planning standards in terms of teacher-student ratio.
He said that from the previous 1:45, the ideal class ratio was set by the DepEd at 1:30, especially in the elementary level. He added that the move was aimed at further improving the quality of teaching and learning in public schools.
Bayocot said the agency already started addressing the problem during the past several years through its massive classroom construction program.
He said the construction of additional classrooms, which is undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways, are continuing in various public schools within the region.
“Right now, we still have ongoing projects under the 2017 program and we’re expecting more for 2018,” he said.
Because of this, Bayocot said there were no schools in the region that were still holding classes in makeshift classrooms and other venues.
With some of the classroom projects still ongoing, he said there are schools in populated areas that were facing some problems but were addressed through the temporary implementation of double class shifts. (PNA)
