Interview with Cagayan de Oro Department of Education Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Myrna Motoomul
Michael Turner: Dr. Myrna Motoomul was a former teacher in Gingoog City. Her husband is former Councilor Motoomul.
Several Rotary Clubs in the Cagayan de Oro area provide community service projects for some of the local schools each year, and my club, the Rotary Club of Cagayan de Oro is interested in determining what schools are in the most need, where we can make the most difference.
We are going to discuss topics regarding education, especially now that classes have started. So Ms. Motoomul, when did you assume your present position?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: March 10, this year.
Michael Turner: Dr. Motoomul, we are facing a lot of crises right now with rising food and fuel prices, almost everything is increasing in price despite the recent strengthening of the peso against the dollar. Do these crises have any effects on the teachers and students?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: As of the last headcount of both elementary and high school students last Friday, we have 50,000. Last year, we had 76,000. However, there are schools in the city that have exceeded their population of last year.
Michael Turner: That’s an incredible drop in school attendence from one year to the next, that could of course be accounted for the increased prices of necessary commodoties, which makes it more difficult for families to send their kids to school. Where in the city are the schools that have shown such increases in population?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Some schools in Bugo have shown an increase in students’population.
Michael Turner: It has something to do with the community. Look at Bugo; they have Del Monte so people there have jobs. They can afford to send their children to school. Anyway, do we have a problem with the student-teacher ratio?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: At the moment, we have no problems whatsoever.
Michael Turner: There was this shifting schedule of elementary students, there’s this morning batch and the afternoon batch. Care to elaborate on that?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. We put one teacher in charge for the morning session and another for the afternoon batch.
Michael Turner: Do we still have night classes in our public high schools Doctor?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Actually, we do not call them night classes. They start at 1:00 PM and end at 8:00 PM.
Michael Turner: That’s the schedule being observed at the City High School at Nazareth?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes.
Michael Turner: How about MOGCHS?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: MOGCHS is supervised by the provincial government, not by the City, though the school is under the City government’s management.
Michael Turner: How many high schools are there managed by the City? Did you open new high schools?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: So far, we have not opened new establishments. I believe we have to address the problem of having many high school annexes. There are many disadvantages to this.
Michael Turner: Do these annexes have principals?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes, But since these schools are only annexes of the main school, they only have a limited allocation from the national government.
Michael Turner: So all annexes are treated as one with the mother school?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes.
Michael Turner: So the one in Macanhan is not a national high school?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. The one in Macanhan is known as Cagayan de Oro City National High School — Macanhan Annex. Not a separate campus.
Michael Turner: How about the teachers and their responsibilities?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Supposedly, a teacher is to handle two sections. But at the moment, we are still in need of teachers. In Camaman-an, a teacher is tasked to handle 11 sections.
Michael Turner: Has Congressman Rufus Rodriguez heard of the situation?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: We have some discussions on the matter, and we’re currently finding ways of getting new teachers.
Michael Turner: But with the 1/3 decrease of the student population this year, I believe that should not be a problem.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Even with the decrease of students, we still have to provide teachers to other schools, and not just distribute them in one school alone.
Michael Turner: What is the most depressing problem? The lack of classrooms or the low economy?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: I don’t think money is a problem. They do not need money to enroll since we have a “no collection” policy.
Michael Turner: This “no collection” policy, which all public schools are enforcing, is this only applicable during enrolment, or are the students not required to pay any fee throughout the school year?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Based on DepEd’s order #19082008, the “no collection” policy states that no fees shall be collected from public students from pre-school to Grade 4 throughout the school year. With Grade V and up, we can collect what we call voluntary contribution.
Michael Turner: So that’s where you get the funds for the brooms and for floor wax (laughs)?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Actually, my first interview with Bombo Radio was regarding floor wax (laughs).
Michael Turner: I think it’s just unfair to let the student’s shoulder the burden of paying for floor wax.
Anyway, can we talk about boy scouts and girl scouts, there is this concern regarding insurance policies.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. That’s 35 pesos. It is an authorized contribution from those who want to be members of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, so their insurance can be covered.
Michael Turner: For death, injury, and dismemberment?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. 35 pesos per student.
Michael Turner: So the Red Cross is another payment a student must make?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. But the one with Red Cross is an authorized contribution.
Michael Turner: So a student is required to pay obligations in the Boy/Girl Scout and the Red Cross?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Students can find sponsors to support them in their financial needs.
Michael Turner: I think it’s not the lack of money. Parents often complain about having to pay for school fees but they have money for wine, for gambling and other activities. Some parents really do not have a sense of priorities. Anyway, about the books, elementary students are given books every year, right?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. We have received new books for this school year to be used by elementary students.
Michael Turner: There’s this issue about uniform code. Malacañang reportedly declared that wearing of school uniform is now optional.
Michael Turner: That’s for high school.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: They asked our opinion on the matter and we prefer to have the students wear their uniforms to school. I also prefer students wearing uniform.
Michael Turner: The general opinion of the public is that uniforms should be worn when going to school.
Michael Turner: How about ID’s? There were several complaints about the fees collected for ID’s.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: I issued a division memorandum that no fees shall be collected for ID processing. We also tapped several ID makers for bidding for ID production.
Michael Turner: So to make it clear with the public, no fees shall be collected for the ID’s.
Michael Turner: How about the dress code? Any specific tailoring shops that are designated official uniform makers for several schools?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: It’s voluntary. As long as students follow the dress code of their school, it’s fine by me.
Michael Turner: There is also an issue about the ranking process of teachers? What is the ranking for? And what does ranking mean? What is the ranking process?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Ranking is a process where a licensed teacher enters the pool of available teachers seeking employment. A qualified applicant enters a list with other qualified applicants.
Michael Turner: Does that mean that the highest-ranking applicant gets first priority once there is a vacancy?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Not necessarily. We have a lot of things to consider. In Cagayan de Oro, we prefer those who reside in Cagayan de Oro rather than those who reside in Bohol.
Michael Turner: So when there’s opening in other places, applicants from Cagayan de Oro will have difficulty getting employments in different cities as well?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes.
Michael Turner: The ranking system also has some effect on promotions of already working teachers?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: We have promotion boards that handle that matter.
Michael Turner: The prominence of school also has effect on ranking, right?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: It used to be one of the major factors, but such policy was abolished.
Michael Turner: If a teacher who graduated 2003 was ranked #50 that year, but she took special studies and credits, can she used those credits to elevate her rank?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. That’s the reason why we hold rankings every year to accommodate those who took special courses.
Michael Turner: It’s much like in the military where soldiers with heavy educational credits have more chances of getting promoted at a fast rate.
Michael Turner: But that’s with promotions. We are talking about entry in teaching service. Doctor, we have a large number of unemployed graduates yet we still have shortages for public school teachers. What’s your take on that?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Because we produce more than what we need.
Michael Turner: That’s why licensed teachers become caregivers. They have more patience (laughs).
Michael Turner: Any projects set in mind?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: For the first 45 days of my administration, I want to identify the causes why our division is one of the low-performing divisions in the country. To do that, we are strictly using the teaching supplements I have prepared.
Michael Turner: How will you evaluate your progress?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: We will hold diagnostic tests in both elementary and high school by the end of the 45th day.
Michael Turner: That is your personal project?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes.
Michael Turner: Any programs directed to you by the DepEd?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. We call it the Turn Around Project.
Michael Turner: This is your third month since assuming office. Have you experienced any encounters with your principals?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Like any leader, I will try my best to solve any problems.
Michael Turner: Going back to your 45-day program, have you conducted an orientation to the city’s public teaching force?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. We have provided modules, seminar, and teaching exercises. We had trainers from the Division to guide them throughout.
Michael Turner: There is this concern regarding security within school campus. Have you put that into your consideration? We have instances of harassment and bullying of students from fellow students.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: We have considered that.
Michael Turner: Maybe you could put a policeman to deter troublemakers (laughs). There are also a number of illegal activities involving groups of high school students. Doctor, are you planning to create a task force to monitor those illegal activities? Do you plan to set a team that would counter illegal activities that involves gangs whose members are high school students?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Now that you mentioned it, I will make sure that things like this will never happen again.
Michael Turner: We talked about books earlier. Speaking of which, do you have any problems about libraries?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: We have a program called the ‘Library Hub’. So far, we are still trying to implement the project.
Michael Turner: But in the age of Internet, most schools have computers.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Actually, many high schools still do not have computers for students to use. None of the elementary schools have computers for students.
Michael Turner: Anyway, we also have other problems regarding chairs.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: I am going school to school to determine which school has available chairs to spare so we could lend them to schools that lack them.
Michael Turner: How about health programs? Do you health programs lined up?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Deworming is one. But we also focus on promoting proper hygiene as well.
Michael Turner: I am concerned about metal and the psychological health of students. Some of them need help in that area.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: I think we can relate that to the incident in Davao where a young girl committed suicide because of poverty. We must cope with that.
Michael Turner: Guidance counselors are made for that. How about special children? What are your programs regarding this children?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: We hold classes for them. In the City Central School, we have 6 levels of special children.
Michael Turner: These are the ones who have teachers with degrees in special education?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. I am actually surprised to find that there are 6 teachers with degree in special education.
Michael Turner: Just to clarify, those who graduated in education courses have more chances of getting a teaching course if they take special courses?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: Yes. They are more likely to get hired if they have a field of specialization.
Michael Turner: It’s much like if you want to get a higher-paying job, you have to study more! And speaking of big pay, we have teachers who engage in some other income generating projects. Do you have any restrictions on that?
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: They are allowed to do so as long as these teachers do not use and abuse their influence over students. But definitely they are not allowed to engage in any business inside school premises.
Michael Turner: We still have a lot of questions to ask of you but due to our limited time, we have to cut our discussion short. But I do hope we can talk again soon.
Dr. Myrna Motoomul: I call out to parents of students to encourage them to strive harder in their learning. The first 45-days is an important phase in their academic lives. Once again, there are no fees to be collected from students as stated in the provision of the :No Collection” policy.