DepEd gives scholars priority in hiring teachers

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) recently signed a memorandum of agreement to prioritize graduates of an Australian government-funded scholarship program in hiring public school teachers.

The Scholarships in Teacher Education Program to Upgrade Teacher Quality (STEP UP), which was launched last year, aims to produce 1,000 graduates in five years.

STEP UP seeks to attract the top 25 percent of graduating high school students, financially strapped junior students in partner schools, and good-performing college graduates and professionals to the teaching profession by offering them competitive scholarship packages.

The program aims to attract the best and brightest individuals to the teaching profession.

Each scholar gets a package worth P140,000 per school year.

After the scholars pass the licensure examination for teachers, they must teach in  public schools for at least five years (for incoming freshman students) or three years (for incoming junior students and certificate in teaching students).

Various professional organizations and  business groups have reiterated their support for the K to 12 program.

The organizations that took part in the MOU signing were the Management Association of the Philippines, People Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Semiconductor and Electronic Industries, IT and Business and Processing Association of the Philippines, Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands, Makati Business Club, Employers Confederation of the Philippines as well as chambers of commerce of Europe, Germany, South Korea and the United States.

As part of the agreement, the organizations and DepEd will undertake collaborative work in providing support activities to students and teachers through work immersion, training of teachers, employment assistance, and donations to address resource gaps.

 The DepEd, for its part, pledged to mobilize its regional and division offices in assisting partner organizations for the effective implementation of support activities.

“As partners, we affirm our commitment to hiring and developing K to 12 graduates as they enter the workforce. The public can trust that industry will play its part in national development,” PBEd chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. said.