Budget for 15,000 more teachers for SUCs assured next year: Romulo

By Office of Cong. Roman T. Romulo
November 13, 2015

QUEZON CITY – Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo on Friday said funds for the creation or filling up of 15,000 teachers in State Colleges and Universities have been included in the proposed P3.002 trillion budget for 2016.

"I would like to thank Budget Secretary Butch Abad and CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan for making good their commitment to create or fill up these positions," he said.

"This will take a heavy load off the backs of our current crop of teachers and allow them some time to smell the roses, so to speak," he added.

Romulo had filed a resolution last Jan. 29, 2015 directing the House committee on Higher and Technical Education to conduct an inquiry exported lack adequate plantilla positions for full-time faculty of state universities and colleges (SUCs).

He pointed out then that a survey done by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) showed an estimated shortage of 17,057 faculty in SUCs.

The survey also showed that the DBM has not provided funds for additional plantilla positions in SUCs which has led the SUCs to adopt a "scrap and build" policy.

This policy involves the scrapping of high positions to enable SUCs to create lower positions as a way of addressing the teacher shortage.

"The shortage of plantilla positions have compelled the teachers to devote most of their time and attention to instruction, to the detriment of research and extension programs of the SUCs," Romulo pointed out.

"The lack of full-time plantilla positions have lured some SUCs faculty to switch to other careers or leave for work abroad, thereby finding it more difficult for the SUCs to meet the standard faculty-to-student ratio," he said.

Responding to Romulo's resolution, Abad and Licuanan jointly wrote him on May 19, 2015 affirming their commitment to consider the creation and/or filling up of 15,000 faculty plantilla positions (inclusive of existing unfolded items of SUCs) under the FY 2016 Budget."