The DepEd Memo

I have just received a call from an RGC in Southern Luzon inquiring about the upcoming IPCAP 1st National Convention this coming Friday Nov. 21-22, 2008. She was able to get the information through the DepEd memorandum she received from her division office. It thus became for her a magnet that led her to inquire about the Convention.

This is something totally different from the comments of certain RGCs who felt short-changed by the DepEd memo. Apparently, expense incurred during the participation of the Convention shall be personal on the part of the RGC-participant rather than charged to the local funds for professional development. One managed to convince the supervisor to let the Counselor attend the Convention. I just am not sure if the expenses will be charged against the local fund. However, the gratitude in having been allowed to come and attend this Convention hints at a beneficial end. The other one felt like an official leave was to be made rather than have the participation credited as official time and the expenses will totally be personal.

I actually called up the DepEd here in Ortigas to clarify the Memo since in our letter request for the Memo, we have asked for official time for the participants as well as local fund support for such participation. Accordingly, DepEd shoulders only DepEd-initiated events. I really cannot say anything about this arrangement. One thing for sure though is the fact that now that we are professionals, with license and all, a lot of our professional development activities will have to be either personal or we may coordinate with our local situations so that we are encouraged through fund support rather than discouraged by the lack of funding. Hence, I bet it is something for us to think about so that our budgets for the upcoming years consider this particular factor. Whereas before, schools would alternate those they send in order to equalize the fund support. Now, we will have to find ways and means so that we can get the support we really need for our professional development. This is one reason why we at IPCAP decided to find ways and means to make the participation and registration expenses lesser than we used to have (I remember paying P4,000 at least for participation/registration). Remember that we only charging P2,000 for the registration. Hence, the organization will be challenged to really make itself a non-profit, non-stock and financially viable while at the same time not forgetting that it is the organization members' we have to help rather than simply be a "collecting agent."

Let's pray that this organization will surely give the RGC the support and encouragement deserved. For we spend our lives helping others. Let's find ways to make our organization, the IPCAP in particular really responsive to the needs of its members.

God bless and see you on Friday.