The Department of Education (DepEd) official said the agency has no budget allocation for teachers who tested positive for COVID-19.
“COVID medication and treatment funding budgets are not present or appropriated in the existing budget of DepEd. And I think it is true for all national government agencies,” Education Undersecretary for finance Anne Sevilla said told reporters in a Viber message.
She explained that DepEd allotted funds for buying supplies and materials for schools and teachers to comply with minimum health standards.
“For those employees who opted to be treated in private hospitals, they also got assistance from DepEd but not from the government funds but from the personal contributions and collective efforts of the DepEd family,” Sevilla said.
DepEd made the response after a teachers’ group asked for assistance from the education department after reports that some teachers acquired the deadly disease while physically reporting in schools amid the surge in COVID-19 transmissions.
“We’ve been in and out of schools and learners’ communities since June, but DepEd still refuses to ensure screening before reporting, mass testing, and full treatment subsidy for infected personnel – costing already the health and lives of one too many teachers and staff,” said Raymond Basilio, secretary-general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, in a statement on August 8.
Also read: DepEd clarifies face-to-face classes optional
DepEd: No budget for teachers who acquired COVID-19
The Philippines recorded Monday, August 10, its record high single-day number of new cases of 6,958, bringing the total to 136, 638. The recoveries meanwhile are at 68,159, while 2,293 already died from the disease.
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines earlier urged DepEd to postpone the opening of classes on a later date after Metro Manila and nearby provinces reverted to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
They expressed their concerns on how MECQ affected not only the teachers but also the parents and students’ preparation for school opening.
As of August 6, DepEd’s data showed those areas under MECQ have the highest number of enrollees for the school year 2020-2021.
There are nearly eight million enrollees in regions placed under MECQ, which include 3,045,296 in Region IV-A (Calabarzon); 2,366,525 in Region III (Central Luzon) and 2,358,155 in NCR.