Licensed Filipino teachers here in the UAE who are planning to head back home and continue their journey of enriching young minds can now get involved with the upcoming advocacy campaign spearheaded by the Philippine government titled “Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir” (SPIMS) happening this November 22 at the Novotel Hotel Airport Road in Abu Dhabi.
Labor Attache Atty. Alejandro Padaen of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) in Abu Dhabi shares that this initiative by the Philippines’ National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) is a great opportunity for Filipinos who wish to continue teaching students when they get back home.
“Ito ay nagbibigay ng oportunidad para sa mga teachers natin mga board passers na makabalik at mabigyan ng empleyo sa Pilipinas bilang guro sa DepEd. Ito ay ino-open whether nagtuturo sa abroad or passers din na di nagtuturo pero gusto nang bumalik para magturo sa Pilipinas,” shares Padaen in an exclusive interview with The Filipino Times.
This is the second SPIMS program to take place in the country from the initial program that took place in 2016, as per Miriam Paglinawan-Sergio, chairman of the Filipino International Teachers Society in the UAE (FITS-UAE) whose organization acted as the bridge to make this program possible.
“This is for all teachers. It has been successfully introduced first by the then Labor Attache Atty. Ophelia Almenario back in 2016 in Dubai and now it’s taking place in Abu Dhabi. We have many recipients na happily teaching in Pinas,” shares Paglinawan-Sergio.
The SPIMS is part of the reintegration program as a project of different government organizations including the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Education (DepEd) Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Commission on Higher
Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) together with the Philippine Normal University (PNU) as their private partner.
Padaen furthers that even those who got their license in the Philippines but got employed in a different job can also benefit from the program, through a refresher course: “Maging ang mga inactive teachers na hindi nagtuturo dito, kaya namin naka-partner ang PNU kasi sila ang magbibigay ng refresher course para maibalik yung kaalaman ng mga teachers kasi maaaring matagal na sila at hindi nagturo dito o iba yung kanilang trabaho, kaya binibigyan sila ng opportunity para maibalik yung dating skill ng pagtuturo through an online system.”
Registration for the SPIMS campaign is on-going with limited slots available.
