PASAY CITY, March 14, 2019 – The Department of Education (DepEd), through its International Cooperation Office (ICO), and the Ministry of Education (MOE) of Thailand convened a meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on March 12 to discuss the employment of Filipino teachers for the “English for All” project of the Kingdom of Thailand.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones shared that the inter-agency meeting on the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the government-to-government hiring of Filipino teachers was initiated by Dr. Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, Thailand Minister of Education, during a side meeting last October 2018 at the 10th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

The MOU aims to improve and promote the international professional exchanges between the two countries to uphold teachers’ protection and welfare, as well as to facilitate the recruitment, entry, and exit of Filipino teachers to and from the Kingdom of Thailand in accordance with the provisions of Thailand and the prevailing laws and regulations of the Philippines, pursuant and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the different Philippine government agencies such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Agency (OWWA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), among others.

“This is an existing situation. It’s not a plan, it’s not a policy proposal. It is an existing situation. And if we can think, we can agree on a better way by which we can protect the Filipinos and at the same time, the Thai government, because it’s not able to regulate and it’s not able to keep track of all Filipinos who come” Briones said. “Because they usually come to visit and they end up teaching in many other places, so that we minimize opportunities for abuse, which may happen every so often,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Minister of Education of Thailand M.L. Pariyada Diskul underscored that they have big projects with teachers from the Philippines who are very highly regarded.

“Your teachers are very diligent and blend in well with our culture. We want to recruit Filipino teachers to be placed in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) government schools, which are the three provinces in the eastern side of Bangkok to upgrade the English competencies of the children in that area,” Diskul stated. “I hope that this will be the beginning of many other projects to come.”

In closing, Briones expressed her gratitude for the milestones and initiatives set by Thailand to strengthen ties by helping Filipino teachers who are working and are planning to work in their country.

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