THE TEACHERS’ Dignity Coalition has appealed to the government to hire private school teachers displaced by the coronavirus pandemic.

The TDC issued the appeal following confirmation from the Department of Education that 748 private schools nationwide will not operate this year, leaving 3, 233 teachers without jobs.

“Private schools are considered partners of the public school system in the delivery of education to the Filipino, they are not in a competition. More so, teachers in private educational institutions are part of the working class – the men and women who labor to keep the economy going and among those that were severely hit by the socio-economic crisis following the pandemic. Thus, the schools as institutions and the teachers as individuals should be assisted by the government in these tough times,” Benjo Basas, the group’s national chairperson, said.

Private school teachers who lost their jobs should also receive assistance from the government and be given priority in the hiring for plantilla positions, the group said.

Basas called for a “comprehensive assistance package” for small private schools dependent on the enrolment fees for their operation.

“The government may think of some sort of subsidy and incentives. This may decrease the enrolment in the already congested public schools,” he added.

Data from DepEd showed that only two million students enrolled in private schools. This means that more than 50 percent of those expected to enlist in private schools transferred to public schools.

“Because of this mass migration, our public schools will experience a sudden rise in enrolment, at least in some specific areas, that will eventually be the cause of heavy workloads for our teachers who are now still trying to cope with the new teaching modalities,” Basas said.

The TDC said that there were reports that students in one class or section would increase from 50 to 70 in some urban areas such as Metro Manila and CALABARZON.

“To have 50 students in a single class, in whatever form of distance learning modality, would be very difficult and demanding — physically, emotionally and mentally,” Basas said.

The group noted that a class size of not more than 25 learners in intermediate and secondary; 20 for primary and 15 for kindergarten would be ideal.

“Dito po papasok ‘yung sinasabi naming tulungan. The government may either subsidize some of our private schools or immediately hire the displaced private school teachers and other employees and evenly distribute the workloads,” Basas added.