THE DEPARTMENT of Education has asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology to approve the bulk application of more than 900,000 teachers who will serve in the elections next year for their Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure digital signatures.

The digital signature is a requirement of the Commission on Elections for teachers who will serve as Electoral Board Members. It is a virtual “key” to secure files sent on the Internet.

“We are continuously cooperating with our lead agencies to have a secure and peaceful elections, and part of our commitment is to ensure that our teachers are protected and given the proper support,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

The DepEd asked the DICT to waive the requirement for individual application, including physically filing out the forms.

“This proposal will guarantee that our teachers will not be burdened by rigorous steps and requirements anymore,” Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua said in a letter sent to the DICT.

The DICT earlier waived the requirement for individual interviews and presentation of supporting IDs.

DepEd also proposed the use of available secure and reliable technologies and the submission of documents for bulk processing in place of the PNPKI application forms.

Documents proposed to be submitted to DICT include a spreadsheet file containing DepEd employees’ verified data certified by Human Resources, and an institutional application from DepEd in place of individual applications.