THE DEPARTMENT of Education will hire aides to help teachers and learners as the country shifts to distance learning.

DepEd Undersecretary for Planning and Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development Jesus Mateo said learning support aides will assist teachers in providing learning opportunities using various modalities.

“Layunin po ng LSA na ito ay unang-una, para matulungan ang ating mga guro, pangalawa, matutulungan ‘yung ating mga learners at magulang, bukod po para sa walang kakayahang magturo sa mga mag-aaral,” Mateo said.

“Gusto ko lang ding i-emphasize kasi na kailangan talaga sa division level ma-profile mga learners at kanilang mga magulang para malaman ang pangangailangan para sa LSA. Tututukan natin ang mga learner na medyo nahihirapan naman o ‘di kaya ay walang kakayanan ang pamilya na gabayan ang mga anak sa kanilang pag-aaral,” he added.

School Division Offices that need LSAs can offer the position to existing teacher applicants for school year 2020-2021 who were not given permanent or provisional appointments for lack of permanent teaching items.

Other qualified individuals who may apply as LSAs include LET passers in the locality; private school teachers, especially those who were displaced because of the pandemic; and provisional teachers whose contracts were not renewed.

LSA applicants must be Senior High School (Grade 12) graduates and must have studied at least two years in college. Experience, training, and eligibility are not required for the post.

Applicants who will be hired as LSAs will be credited relevant teaching experience in DepEd.

Mateo, however, clarified that LSAs will not replace or duplicate the functions of teachers, who will be the main facilitators of learning instruction in public schools.

According to him, LSAs will only assist teachers since the means of communication by which learning is conveyed to learners has become more complex.