DepEd-Kalinga asks politicians not to meddle with hiring of teachers

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The Department of Education- Kalinga appealed to political candidates that when they get elected in May 2025, they should not meddle with the hiring of teachers in the province and respect the agency’s dynamics.

When the concerns on political lobbying at the DepEd were mentioned during the Candidate Forum on April 4, Kalinga Schools Division Superintendent Natividad Bayubay who was at the event as one of the panelists, took the chance to air the clamor of DepEd Kalinga on political patronage in the hiring of teachers.

“We are suffering. If you must know, we’re suffering from this. Ket ibagak lang nga in my watch as SDS, I tried to eradicate this practice,” she admitted, explaining that the education system is suffering due to the employment of teachers through political lobbying. She stressed that teachers have a huge role in offering quality education to the learners.

“Iti kinalaing iti teacher ket isu iti mang-determine dagiti resulta iti education iti maysa nga eskwelaan,” she pointed out.

Bayubay further noted that they are fighting to end the hiring of teachers due to political intervention because what is under the DepEd’s care are the children who are sent to school by their parents to get quality education.  

The Kalinga Schools Division Superintendent conveyed that there is nothing to worry about hiring iKalinga teachers as they uphold the Localization Law, which mandates the employment of local applicants.

With the eradication of political lobbying in the hiring system of teachers, the DepEd Kalinga will get to hire those who top the ranking, as Bayubay expressed, they believe that the top applicants possess the knowledge, skills, and attitude for the job.

“So pangaasi nu dakayo iti mangabak, pangaasi, uray nu haan nga siyak iti SDS … daytoy iti ipakpakaasik kadagitoy responsible officials, you should respect the dynamics in our department. Ket nu adda pakaungtak, apo, haan yu i-complain nga maikkatak nga dagus. Ayaban dak latta tapnu i-explain met iti side mi, kasdiay,” she stressed.