The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Mike G. Jamisola
The Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Commission on Senior Citizens (NCSC) are looking into the possibility of tapping qualified senior citizens to perform regular duties as volunteer teachers to help solve the country’s acute teacher shortage problem.
NCSC Chairman Franklin Quijano said a good number of qualified and able older persons who are knowledgeable enough could assist teachers and/or become volunteer teachers themselves or even help in Dep-Ed’s “Brigada Eskwela” campaign.
“Our elderly parents and now, senior citizens are our first teachers. They taught us everything in life. They are the best educators, supreme motivators and the greatest assets of our nation and they’re just there waiting to be tapped, Quijano said.
In a virtual meeting with Vice-President and Secretary of Education Sarah Duterte, Quijano submitted a 4-point curriculum and module to be considered by Dep-Ed for formal integration into their existing programs/curriculum and activities.
Vice President DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte welcomed the NCSC proposal and promised to review its salient features for possible integration into DepEd’s existing program. She also asked NCSC to coordinate with TESDA and the DILG to help with the implementation of the other agenda included in the proposal.
The module touches on values education, which consist of the following:
- Curriculum and Module Development about Intergenerational
Understanding between and among the Youth and the Elderly as
Contextualized with Values like Respect, Dignity, Love, Concern,
Compassion on Older Persons, vice versa.
B. Life-long learning of elder persons on knowledge and skills
through Alternative Learning System (ALS)
Life-long learning of elder persons on livelihood skills (TESDA)
C. Contribution to Nation-Building
1. Tap older qualified persons who are knowledgeable enough to assist
teachers and/ or become volunteer teachers themselves
2. Tap able older persons to help in the “Brigada Eskwela”
Campaign.
D. Assistance and support of Dep-Ed during the celebration of the
“Elderly Week” in October 2022
NSCC Commissioner Reymar Mansilungan said that if everything comes out according to their plan and with DepEd’s blessings, NCSC’s proposal could be the “missing link” that would help solve once-and-for-all the country’s severe shortage of teachers.
Mansilungan added that even if at least one percent of the total senior citizen populace would qualify as substitute teachers, it would be enough to fill up the number of teachers needed by DepEd to attain the ideal ratio.
A latest data shared by Party-list group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), said that there are a total of 26,000 teaching positions that have yet to be filled as of February 2021, and an additional 10,000 teaching items are created under the 2022 General Appropriations Act.
On top of these, from 2016 to 2020, an additional 1,500 to 2,500 positions are being left unfilled by DepEd.
According to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were 12,336,355 Filipinos aged 60 years old and above as of May 2020.
The total number of senior citizens was 11.31 percent of the country’s estimated total population at 109,035,343, based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH).
I was VP Sara’s Class Adviser in high school and her Physics teacher I became the Principal of the Basic Education Department of the institution in 2011 before I transferred to another institution of which I was assigned as Division Head of the School of Teacher Education program. In 2016 , I was assigned to head the opening of the Senior High School of the same institution. Before my retirement in January of 2022, I was hired by the same college to head the School of Teacher Education. I am willing to answer the call of the Vice President/Education Secretary Sara Duterte if given the chance. Thank you.