1,300 Muslim Teachers Take Special License Exam In Sulu Province

More than 1,300 Muslim teachers take the "licensure" examination Sunday, April 06, 2008, in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. President Gloria Arroyo sent a team from the Professional Regulation Commission in Manila to supervise the examinations of teachers at the Sulu State College in Patikul town. It was the second time since last year the PRC has conducted the examinations in Sulu. Many teachers say they cannot afford the high cost of traveling to Zamboanga City to take the licensure examinations. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 06, 2008) – More than 1,300 Muslim teachers took their licensure examination Sunday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

It was the second time since last year the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) held such examinations in the province. President Gloria Arroyo ordered the licensure examination in Sulu after on the request of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan.

Tan said the teachers cannot afford to go to Zamboanga City in Mindanao Island to take the examinations.

“It was so difficult for the teachers to go to Zamboanga because they cannot afford to pay the cost of travel. With a meager salary, teachers would rather spend their money on food and medicines,” Tan told the Mindanao Examiner.

The examination, held at the Sulu State College, took more than 8 hours and teachers are optimistic they will pass the long and arduous written test.

German Palabyab, PRC Director, said at least 1,370 teachers took the examination. He said they will hold another licensure examination in September. “From now on there will be regular licensure examinations for teachers in Sulu, at least twice a year and this is all part of our effort to help in the educational system in the province,” he said.

Palabyab admitted the difficulties of the teachers in Sulu to take the examinations in Zamboanga City because of the high cost of travel and other expenses.

“It is difficult really for the teachers to become a professional because they have to attend review sessions that cost an arm and a leg. President Arroyo is very supportive of our endeavor and we are happy to be part of this. We all have a stake in the future of our young people,” he said.

Last week, Tan hired a group of educators to conduct review classes for the teachers to prepare for the licensure examination.

Many temporary state teachers in Sulu have not been paid their salaries the past months, others since 2007, because they lack government requirements, such as the PRC license that will enable them to be professional.

Hundreds of teachers last year had walked out of their classes to protest the alleged failure of the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to pay their salaries. But regional education officials insisted the teachers have not been paid because they either not passed the PRC licensure examination or are not qualified.

Sulu has more than 5,000 teachers and about 900 of them are with temporary status serving some 50,000 students in 19 towns.

Teachers here have blamed problems of delayed and missing salaries and contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to corruption. More than P389 million of teachers' contributions to GSIS were allegedly missing and that this has ballooned to over P600 million over the years and yet ARMM continues to deduct insurance premiums from their salaries.

The teachers were asking for a formal Congressional or Senate investigations into the missing GSIS contributions and salaries and jail those who would be found guilty of embezzling funds.

The Department of Education topped the list of the government budget recipients with P138 billion allocated as follows: P2 billion for the repair of school buildings; P760 million to cover the backlog of classrooms; and P420 million for school seats and P330 million to hire new teachers.

But while the bulk of the national budget goes to education, it remains inadequate to address the problems crippling the education sector.

The Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), a national confederation of government employees and their unions and associations, said teachers are among the skilled workers that have joined the exodus of Filipinos leaving for abroad due to the lure of higher pay.

Attracting and retaining competent public school teachers remains a huge problem in the Philippines.

Many state teachers are overworked but underpaid. A public school teacher here only gets around P10,000-P15,000 a month while a Filipino teacher in the United States can earn up to P40,000 or more.

Low-paying jobs, deplorable working conditions and lack of opportunities in the country also drive some teachers to become domestic workers or caregivers just so they can work abroad. (Mindanao Examiner

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Teachers, Aspiring Cadets Take Exams In Jolo Island

A school teacher in the southern Filipino island of Jolo takes a government licensure examinations Sunday inside the Mohammad Tulawie School in downtown Jolo town. The island’s governor Sakur Tan sought President Gloria Arroyo’s permission to allow some 2,000 teachers to take the examinations in Jolo to save on expenses in traveling to Mindanao to take the licensure test. Also some 100 high school graduates aspiring to become a cadet take an entrance examination Sunday Aug. 26, 2007 for the Philippine Military Academy in Jolo island. The examination is the first in 17 years in Jolo to give equal opportunity for those living in remote provinces, says Colonel Antonio Supnet, the island's army chief.

And group of children play at the Mauboh beach in Patikul town in Jolo island on Sunday. Contrary to Philippine media reports of fighting between troops and Abu Sayyaf militants, the island’s governor Sakur Tan says life is much better now for the locals, citing the steady growth of business and the improved peace and order condition since the implementation of the total gun ban in Jolo island. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

JOLO ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Aug) – For the first time in Jolo's history, the Philippine Regulation Commission, allowed school teachers to take their licensure examinations on the southern island.

Some 2,000 teachers trooped to the town of Jolo and took the examinations held in two government schools. School Superintendent Delfin Unga said the island's Governor Sakur Tan sought President Gloria Arroyo's help in allowing the teachers to take the their licensure examination in Jolo.

"President Gloria Arroyo granted the request of Governor Tan and that's why we were able to hold the PRC licensure examinations here. We were able to save money and time. We hope this will continue in the coming years," Unga told the Mindanao Examiner.

Tan said the holding of the licensure examinations in Jolo island only shows the government's concern for the welfare of the teachers. "We owe this to President Arroyo and she assured us of her administration's continued support to the people of this province," he said.

Perla Sayana, PRC head of delegation to Jolo island, said President Arroyo ordered them to fly to Jolo and supervise the licensing examinations for teachers as requested by Tan.

"We are really excited to come here and conduct the licensing examinations for teachers and we hope that in the future we will be able to hold other licensing examinations here to service the people," she said in a separate interview.

Aside from the PRC examination, the Philippine Military Academy also held its admission test in Jolo island, the first time in 17 years, according to Colonel Antonio Supnet, commander of the Army's 104 ^th Infantry Brigade.

He said some 100 graduates from high school took the PMA examination. "There were so many who wanted to become a cadet, but we follow strict guidance and rules before anyone are allowed to take the battery of examinations and eventually become a PMA cadet."

"This is the first time in 17 years that the PMA is here to recruit. This will give equal opportunity for everyone – Christians and Muslims – to become part of the Philippine Military Academy," Supnet said.

Tan also appealed to the press not to sensationalize the security problem in Jolo island, where troops are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for terrorism and kidnappings in southern Philippines.

"The government operation is limited to the mountains and everybody can come here and see for themselves the progress that we are now enjoying and the development projects that are ongoing."

"President Arroyo is pouring a lot of humanitarian and government projects in the province and the military and police are doing a great job in maintaining peace and order," he said.

He said beaches are full everyday of picnickers and the local economy is growing steadily.

"Trade with neighboring provinces is also picking up. We deliver fruits, like durian and lanzones and also coffee beans and rubbers by the boats everyday to Zamboanga and other places in Mindanao and as far as Manila, Cebu and abroad and we are growing."

"And so we appeal to the media to report the positive gains that we have achieved and help us promote peace and development and lure investments and more trades with our neighbors," Tan said.

Jolo island is one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and is famous for its pristine beaches and rich in heritage and culture. (Mindanao Examiner)