Teachers in Leyte Literally Climb Mountains to Send Online Reports to DepEd

A lot of teachers are complaining about the many reports and evaluations they have to send to the Department of Education (DepEd) that the government agency requires, seemingly as ‘proof’ that the teachers worked all year long.

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

But these reports and evaluation forms have become more of a burden to the teachers, especially because many of these actually a long time to accomplish. Aside from spending several days just to complete these accomplishment forms and reports, the teachers also have the problem of how they could pass the reports within the strict deadlines imposed.

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

Teachers in Leyte, for example, are having a hard time with the reports because most of their schools don’t even have an internet connection. Mobile data is also difficult to use in the lowlands, leading many of the teachers to climb mountains and even go up trees, literally, just to find cellular signal strong enough for them to send their reports!

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

Many of these teachers have to walk for miles, trying to find the elusive mobile phone signals. A lot have to climb trees to hang their pocket wi-fi, hurriedly send their reports while praying the signal would remain strong enough until all the reports have been sent. Then, they have to climb up the trees again to retrieve their gadgets.

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

Joseph Sumayang shared photos of the teachers working on their reports while sitting on rocks or on grass at a mountain in Leyte. He said that his wife and several teachers in Libertad, Abuyog, Leyte have to regularly do this, particularly after the school year ends when most of the reports have to be send to DepEd.

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) coordinator in Libertad Elementary School (LES), Sumayang’s wife had more papers to submit.

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

LES school principal Gregorio Betonio worries about the teachers, saying many of them have to stay up as late as 8PM in the mountains just to work in their reports. He is fearful that the teachers could experience trouble because of the remote location, wild animals, and mosquitoes in the area.

Photo credit: Joseph Sumayang / Facebook

Sumayang, Betonio, and the teachers are hoping that the DepEd or some other government agency could look into this situation to help improve how teachers could send their reports without having to go through so much trouble…