The Senate has ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the ‘National Education Support Personnel Day Act (Senate Bill No. 2872 and House Bill No.4896),’ a bill that Senator Win Gatchalian described as a recognition of the vital role of non-teaching personnel.
The measure seeks to declare May 16 as the National Education Support Personnel Day, which will be a special working holiday. The National Education Support Personnel Day will align with the observance of the World Education Support Personnel Day, which also falls on May 16.
“Ang pagdiriwang ng National Education Support Personnel Day Act ay isang simpleng pagpupugay sa ating mga non-teaching staff o mga education support personnel. Kung wala ang mga education support personnel na nagsisilbing mga kuya at ate sa ating mga paaralan, hindi natin makukumpleto ang paghahatid ng mga mahahalagang serbisyong kinakailangan ng ating mga mag-aaral,” said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
Education support personnel are persons employed in teaching-related or non-teaching positions in both public and private institutions. They include teaching assistants, registrars, librarians, doctors, nurses, schools division counselors, school counselors, school counselor associates, guidance counselors, psychologists, and clerks, among others.
The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall be the lead agencies in preparing and implementing the annual program of activities to observe the National Education Support Personnel Day.
There are over 107,000 non-teaching staff in the DepEd, while there are over 63,000 education support personnel across state universities and colleges.
