Young: No termination of day-care workers

YOUNG

Councilor Joy Augustus Young clarified reports that came up during the Day-Care Center meeting last month that day-care workers would be terminated.

“We cannot fire day-care workers because they are appointed by the barangay captains. They are employees of the barangays; they are not our (city) employees,” Young, Deputy Mayor for Education and Scholarship, said yesterday.

He said the issue of “firing” day-care workers during the meeting was just misunderstood.
Young said he would propose that the day-care workers be absorbed by the city government January next year and that they would receive a fixed salary.

However, this is still subject to approval by Mayor Tomas Osmeña, Young said.

Young said most day-care center workers are co-terminus with the barangay captains and that they are fired if the barangay captain who appointed them loses in the election.

According to Young, the barangays give a monthly allowance of undetermined amount to day-care teachers, while the city provided a counterpart of P8,000.

Young said he would also suggest to Mayor Osmeña to give the monthly allowance of day-care workers only until December once the barangay day care workers are absorbed by the city government.

But Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said it is better to let the barangay govern the day-care workers.

“No one knows what is good for the barangay but the barangay itself. Let us help them practice local autonomy,” Labella said.

Young said the day-care center teachers should be a college graduate and must teach in their own barangay.

Currently, there are 250 teachers working in around 180 day-care centers in Cebu City.
Young said the refresher course and training for day-care teachers would be held in October following the implementation of K-to-12 program of the Department of Education.