MANILA - The Department of Education said Tuesday it has not allocated funds for the hiring of para-teachers or tutors for distance learning in the proposed 2021 national budget.
At the House of Representatives' hearing on the department's budget next year, Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said no funding was allocated for the hiring of para-teachers.
Instead, funding was allocated for hiring for regular teaching positions, she said.
Sevilla earlier said the DepEd plans to hire 10,000 teachers next year.
Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said it was up to the school division offices to hire para-teachers, which would help parents in facilitating the studies of learners at home.
Schools' Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses and the Special Education Fund of local government may be used as funding sources for para-teachers, he said.
The national government has allocated P606.5 billion of its proposed P4.5 trillion 2021 budget for DepEd, which will implement a shift to distance learning in the new school year due to the continuing threat of COVID-19 in the country.
The DepEd saw the need to hire para-teachers for blended or distance learning as it acknowledged that not all parents are capable of teaching their children, who will be learning at home in the coming school year since in-person classes remain prohibited.
Education officials earlier said they may also hire displaced private school teachers as para-teachers.
— With reports from Zandro Ochona and Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News
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