‘No massive layoff of DepEd employees’

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) denied yesterday reports that there will be a massive layoff of employees due to the agency’s rationalization plan this year.

Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo also clarified that the rationalization plan will not affect public schools.

Mateo said those who are affected are non-teaching personnel in the DepEd’s central, regional and division offices, excluding the DepEd office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“There will be no massive layoff,” Mateo said, adding that employees who are affected by the rationalization plan will have the chance to be reassigned or avail of additional retirement incentives.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Monday denounced the agency’s rationalization plan.

ACT national president Benjie Valbuena said the scheme will immediately displace all contractual and casual employees of the education department and even those who are under the job order scheme by Dec. 31.

He said regular employees will either choose to avail of early retirement or stay in the government service and have their permanent status converted into co-terminus with the incumbent status.

“This is a blatant attack on the security of tenure of the rank and file employees. There is no truth to the claim of the government that these employees or their positions are not needed because the education sector is evidently understaffed right now. The education sector even needs more personnel,” he said.