600 teachers applying for ARMM’s remote schools

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – More than 600 teachers are applying for vacant positions in far-flung areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

John Magno, DepEd’s assistant regional secretary for operations, said 625 teacher-applicants are undergoing screening.

From between May to July this year, the ARMM government hired more than a thousand teachers for permanent positions in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“The recruitment takes time because we are imposing stringent validation of the qualifications of each applicant based on our ‘Teachers Assessment and Competency Examination,’ which is a very extensive process,” Magno said.

The high illiteracy rate in the autonomous region is blamed on the lack of competent teachers and on the anomalous hiring in the past.

The Department of Budget and Management  (DBM) has approved the hiring of additional 1,637 new teachers in the autonomous region for this year.

Magno said the screening procedures are open to journalists and observers from non-government organizations and the ARMM’s Muslim and Christian communities.

“We don’t hire applicants who are like square pegs being forced into round holes. That is the reason why we can’t hire as many teachers within a very short period of time,” he said.

The DepEd-ARMM is keen on filling up all vacant teaching positions within the year, Magno added.  

ARMM’s regional executive secretary Laisa Alamia said the DBM would not download funds for the salaries of each approved teaching post unless it is filled appropriately.

Alamia and Magno said the ARMM’s education department is not “freezing” vacant teaching positions, contrary to claims by some applicants who failed in the entrance examinations.