Muslim teachers get faster payment of allowance thru Land Bank

Muslim teachers, also called Asatidz, can now get their salaries promptly, and
more efficiently. The Department of Education said it has started paying the allowances of
Muslim teachers in public elementary schools through Land Bank’s automated
teller machines.

The Asatidz are volunteer workers trained by the DepEd to handle Arabic
Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE). They get a maximum
allowance of P3,000 per month from DepEd. For local government units that
can afford to pay extra, the Asatidz get an additional P 2,000.
The old procedure showed that most school divisions encountered delays in the
release of payment of the Asatidz.

“This is certainly a big relief and a more efficient way of releasing the pay of the
Muslim teachers who handle ALIVE,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said.
DepEd extends assistance to private madaris (Muslim schools) by integrating
basic subjects such as Mathematics, English, Science, Filipino and Makabayan
in the ALIVE program.

Under the new arrangement, the payment requires that the DepEd Regional
Office consolidates the Asatidz payroll by Division. The payroll indicates the
actual number of contact hours of the teachers. This is transmitted to the Office
of the Undersecretary for Muslim Affairs for the processing of payment. In turn,
DepEd submits the processed payroll to LBP for credit to individual account.
For far flung areas that are not served by Land Bank , the Schools Division
Superintendent shall recommend the most effective and efficient manner of
payment.