MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday it has hired 3,200 learning support aides (LSAs) to help students who do not have parents or guardians that can supervise their studies at home.

Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said schools hire LSAs who live in the communities where they teach to avoid movement, thus reducing the risk of spreading the new coronavirus.

"Ang kinukuha po natin ay iyong mga taong nandito sa community para ma-prevent iyong pag-transmit ng COVID," he said at a Laging Handa briefing.

Of the 3,200 LSAs hired in 5 regions, around 2,000 receive their salaries from the DepEd while the rest are paid by the local government units of the communities where they teach, Mateo said.

Mateo said the DepEd does not have a target figure on LSAs that would be hired since it depends on the needs of the schools.

"Depende po iyan doon sa magiging kailangan ng paaralan para matugunan iyong pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral," he said.

(That depends on the needs of the schools to respond to the needs of the students.)

The DepEd allowed the hiring of LSAs as it acknowledged that not all households have an adult capable of assisting students, who are studying at home this school year after in-person classes were prohibited.

• Learning support aides: Who can apply and how much will they earn?

Mateo added that the DepEd has hired 1,421 teachers from private schools that were affected by the pandemic.

Of the figure, 1,391 have been absorbed by the DepEd as regular teachers while the rest are paid by the LGUs, he said.