EDUCATION Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara on Monday announced the suspension of teachers’ submissions for the Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS).

Angara said an order would be issued within the day to give teachers ample time to prepare the review of the performance report for the school year 2023 to 2024.

“Ang reklamo ng mga teachers nakakasabay siya sa bukasan ng pasukan. So ang daming kailangan na documentation kasabay iyong Brigada Eskwela, kasabay iyong (The teachers are complaining that it’s coming alongside the opening of classes. So, there’s many documentation requirements simultaneous with the Brigada Eskwela, alongside the) opening of classes. So sabi namin, i-suspend muna namin (that’s why we said we should suspend it),” Angara said in an interview on the sidelines of his first flag-raising ceremony at the DepEd Central Office.

He said teachers will be given an extended timeline of around one month or a month and a half.
The DepEd started its weeklong Brigada Eskwela on Monday in preparation for the upcoming opening of classes on July 29.

La Niña preps

Angara, meanwhile, assured that the department is prepared for the effects of the looming La Niña phenomenon in the country, citing plans to sustain alternative delivery modes (ADMs) to prevent further learning loss.

“That’s the option talaga kapag hindi makapasok iyong bata sa (if the learners can’t come to come to) classrooms, we have to resort to those,” he said, referring to online classes, modules, and blended learning setup.

“Handa po tayo kapag ganyan, like ngayon nangyayari sa Romblon, sa Mindoro, nandun iyong mga tao natin (We are ready for that, like what’s happening in Romblon, Mindoro, our personnel are deployed there) to assess the damages,” he said.
Heavy rains have caused massive floods in both provinces of Romblon and Mindoro since last week.

Angara also vowed to identify the vulnerable areas in the country alongside the conduct of a study on the construction of “resilient classrooms.

Regarding construction, he said he wants to streamline the pre-procurement procedures or validation considering an annual 10,000 deficit.
“Iyon ang naging problema, iyong (that’s the problem, the) activities preliminary to construction, nagkakaroon ng delay doon (there are delays there),” Angara said.

To date, Angara said the DepEd has around 159,000 backlogs in classrooms, with 12,000 added yearly. (PNA)