Newly-hired teachers get educ kits

Sisinio Cano, DOLE 12 director, said Wednesday the seven teachers received P10,000 worth of teaching kits through a grant facilitated by the agency’s National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) (Photo: Philippine News Agency)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Seven newly-hired public school teachers, formerly Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), have received teaching packages from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 12.

Sisinio Cano, DOLE 12 director, said Wednesday the seven teachers received P10,000 worth of teaching kits through a grant facilitated by the agency’s National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO).

He said the beneficiaries were among the former OFWs in the region  hired in June by the Department of Education (DepEd) through flagship convergence initiative “Sa Pinas,Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir” or Spims program.

Cano said the provision of the teaching kits is aimed to further improve the capacities of the newly-hired teachers.

The teaching kits were composed of a computer tablet, voice-aide lapel and head-worn microphone, 32 gigabyte secure digital or SD card, sets of flash cards reference materials, and writing tools.

The recipients were were Lilybeth Cabrela, Alma Mae Ugdamin and Lloyd Mark Ugdamin of this city; Genovia Relampagos and Ronnel Paga of Kidapawan City; Gerly Macalisang of Matalam, North Cotabato; and, Analyn Cape of Tacurong City.

More than 30 former OFWs from parts of Region 12 had been hired by DepEd since 2015 through the SPIMS.

NRCO-12 earlier said it endorsed 56 applications last year, some of which were still pending, and processed 23 more this year.

Jeanette Escaño, NRCO-12 coordinator, said they expect the hiring more applicants in the region in the coming months.

SPIMS is a reintegration initiative DOLE that is being implemented in partnership with DepEd, Commission on Higher Education, Professional Regulation Commission, Philippine Normal University and the Technical Education and Skills Development Agency.

It aims to provide permanent teaching positions in public schools for OFWs who are licensed teachers.

It is open to OFWs who are passers of the Licensure Examination for Teachers or LET, with teaching experiences of at least five years.

Those who have teaching experience beyond five years, or have no teaching experience at all will need to undergo an online refresher course though the PNU.

An applicant must be an OFW who has arrived in the country for not more than three years based on the current year.