CEBU, Philippines – The officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Cebu City are expected to release the salaries of the 114 pre-school teachers in the city by Thursday, but only for the month of June.
Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young criticized the DepEd officials for trying to pretend that they could already afford to shoulder the salaries of the pre-school teachers in the city while experiencing budgetary problems.
Young, former education consultant in Cebu City before he was elected as vice mayor last May 10, said he was bombarded with several complaints from teachers handling kindergarten classes.
There are thousands of kindergarten pupils in various public schools in Cebu City that are being handled by the affected teachers.
With Young's constant follow-up with the DepEd City Division, a personnel at the DepEd's accounting section informed the vice mayor that the salaries of the pre-school teachers for the month of June might be released by Thursday.
The DepEd Cebu City is using its budget for the Monthly Operating and Other Expenses (MOOE) just to pay the P6,000-honorarium for each of the pre-school teacher for the month of June.
Young said the DepEd city officials assured him that if there is still enough balance in their MOOE after paying the teachers salaries for the month of June, they may also pay the salaries for July.
A pre-school teacher assigned in barangay Basak-San Nicolas also asked the media to help them to facilitate the early release of their salaries, saying, "Grabeha na usab kadugay uy, hapit na kami kahuralon kay wala na g'yoy magamit panggasto."
Young explained that before, it was the parents of the pupils who contributed money for the payment of their teachers and for the needed school materials.
But after the DepEd claimed that it can afford to shoulder the teachers' honorarium, the collections of donations from parents stopped.
"Nagpatuga-tuga man tawon sila uy. Maayo pa og ang mga ginikanan na lang ang ilang gipabayad," said the vice mayor.
In Cebu City's public elementary schools, school officials will no longer accept grade one pupils if they did not pass kindergarten.
The purpose of requiring the children to go through kindergarten classes is to enhance the children's intellect even before they start primary school.
Young even introduced the so-called "Genius Baby" program for day-care pupils to make sure students can perform well in grade school.
The "Genius Babies" is to subject the children to intensive training, particularly on how to use the computers.
Young cited scientific studies that prove that the first six years of a child is considered his best formative years and the most crucial stage of a child's mental growth. (FREEMAN)