To augment the lack in number of teachers in the national rolls of the Department of Education (DepEd), Governor Dr. Melchor Daguines Diclas approved the release of P15,000.00 honorarium per month of each of the 62 teachers from the different municipalities of Benguet recently hired by the Provincial School Board (PSB).

The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Provincial Government of Benguet and the teachers happened at the Benguet Provincial Capitol on September 3, 2021in the presence of Benguet Schools Division Superintendent Gloria Buya-ao and Assistant Provincial Administrator Jennette Marie Bangao.

Governor Diclas thanked the PSB-hired teachers for taking the challenge of helping DepEd advance education especially with the challenges brought by the present pandemic.

He also said the opportunity being hired as a PSB-teacher will help them gain professional experience while they aspire to become regular teachers in the near future especially that many are applying for permanent teaching positions and that experience is among the major criteria in the ranking process.

SDS Buya-ao also thanked the PSB-hired teachers for grabbing the opportunity to work with DepEd.

She also expressed her gratitude to the Provincial Government of Benguet headed by Governor Diclas for the strong support it has been giving to DepEd.

The newly hired PSB teachers will be assigned to different public schools in the province from September to December this year, but their contract is renewable in January 2022 as funds are allotted on a calendar-year-basis.

Meanwhile, the Provincial LGU has been supporting the effort of DepEd in pursuit of continuous education despite the pandemic through donations.

Further, education is among the priorities under the HEALTHIER Benguet agenda of Governor Diclas.

The governor mentioned during the MOA signing with the PSB-Teachers that the LGU will be procuring P10 million worth of tablets for DepEd, but he said he will still be coordinating with the agency for strategies and ways of monitoring the use of the tablets as part of the distance learning program of DepEd.

Face-to-face classes in the basic education remains suspended for the safety of the students and teachers from the threat of the CoVID-19 virus.