MBHTE to help laid-off BARMM provisional teachers, workers

Manila, July 10 -- The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTDE-BARMM) will provide "humanitarian assistance" for provisional teachers and other temporary employees affected by the cease and desist order issued by the office.

MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal said the region will allot a sum of PHP190,980,000 for the laid-off teachers and incoming applicants for contractual services.

On Thursday, some 80 provisional teachers and non-teaching staff of MBHTE-BARMM conducted a peaceful rally in front of the BARMM compound here demanding reinstatement.

Bai Intan Galinanda, speaking for the affected MBHTE-BARMM personnel, said they have more than 600 members across the region.

However, under Memorandum Order No. 154, released by the MBHTE last March 11, said "Provisional appointment as defined in the 2017 Omnibus Rules on Appointments (ORA) and Other Human Resource Actions (OHRA) (Revised July 2018) shall not be effective beyond the school year during which it was issued."

"These provisional teachers will be re-employed [if they wanted to] with a salary of PHP15,000 per month and some additional PHP5,000 annual fund for administrative assessment activity," Iqbal said in a statement on Friday.

Part of the allotted budget includes the appropriation of PHP10-million for the free Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) review of provisional teachers; a request to the Professional Regulation Commission to conduct special examination for provisional teachers in BARMM; and their hiring as contractual workers for a year as approved by the region's Office of the Chief Minister.

Iqbal said the kick-off for employment for contracts for service will start on August 24 as the new school year begins.

"Hopefully, in one year, all of them will be able to pass the LET exam and the ministry ensures the automatic change of their status from provisional to permanent effective immediately after passing the licensure exam," he said.

The terminated provisional teachers and employees were requested to "cease and desist" from rendering service following the expiry of their contracts last May 31.

Despite their termination, however, the MBHTE has provided the provisional employees their salary last May 31, as well as emergency relief assistance allowance amounting to PHP10,000 and a mid-year bonus of more than PHP20,000 each.

Iqbal said the MBHTE-BARMM is always open for dialogue with its employees as it is their constitutional right.

Currently, he said MBHTE is pushing for its Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) under the "new normal" setup of education that includes distance learning, home-based learning, module learning, and blended approach, depending on available resources in the area.