Psycho test for teachers eyed to stop abuses on students

The Department of Education said that it wants applicants for teaching positions in public schools to pass a psychological test. DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus in a memorandum said that the move comes in the wake of increasing reports of teachers inflicting physical harm on students.

Lapus stressed that the psychological test will be a deterrent to future abuses since it will determine the mental competence of future teachers.

While he said the number of child abuse cases perpetrated by teachers is "insignificant", Lapus pointed out that the abuse should be stopped.

Department of Education regional director Carolino Mordeno said that they have been in the forefront already of implementing the said processing and hiring of teachers in the region.

He said that in fact, the Cebu City Division is already focusing on the said matter and that they have been implementing it already for two years.

With the hiring, Mordeno said that psychological test is given greater importance because this shows the attitude of teachers towards their students.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Franklin Sunga of DepEd's Legal and Legislative Affairs said he has ordered regional directors around the country to expedite the resolution of child abuse cases by the end of the year.

"I have issued a memorandum ordering for a zero backlog of child abuse cases by December 30," Sunga said.

He explained that teachers involved in these cases are not automatically expelled from government service since they are covered by the Magna Carta for Teachers. - Jasmin R. Uy