Male teachers an endangered species?

Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus said male teachers were a vanishing breed, accounting for only a very small portion of the entire teacher population in the country at present.

IN THE LAST Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET), a total of 26,812 took the elementary level test while 23,975 took the secondary level exam.

Only one male examinee -- Gian Carlo Auxilian, a graduate of St. $Anthony’s College in Antique—made it to the top 10 in the elementary level.

In the secondary level, 11 of the 25 topnotchers were men, including Benedict Barayuga of Central Luzon University and Gerard Vincent Mendoza of the University of the Philippines-Diliman who tied for first place.

Out of the total 50,787 who took the April LET, 3,458 men passed the test or 25.8 percent of the total passers of 13,384.

More men passed the high school te2,194 or 37.09 percent of the total passers in that level -- compared to the 1,264 or 16.9 percent of total passers in the elementary level.

Professional Regulation Commissioner Nilo L. Rosas believes “male teachers can be as nurturing, caring and competent as their female counterparts.”

Click here to read the complete article 6/28/09 Philippine Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/learning/view/20090628-212873/Male-teachers-an-endangered-species