MSU MSHS Revamped

MSU SHS Revamped; Faculty Members Promoted, Receive Overload Pay

| Amer Hassan V. Usman

In a crisis such as the global pandemic, it is rather difficult to feel happy and be inspired. However, the MSU Marawi Senior High School had so much in store for its faculty, staff and students this year.

Renovation of old CHS building

Only receiving leftovers for the past three years, the MSU-MSHS students have always expressed their dismay regarding the low quality of the rooms. “School is our second home”; However, students in the former CHS Building felt like their second home was not very home like. The incomplete window panels, the peeling paints, the dilapidated ceilings and walls, and even the lack of fairly usable whiteboards made the students feel like the rooms were not theirs. Around the second semester of A.Y. 2019-2020, all classes were halt as a result of the pandemic. Due to the strict protocols of quarantine and lockdown, everyone had to stay inside his or her home. These safety precautions made school unproductive. However, a pause did not mean no progress for MSU-MSHS. With the help of the MSU System President Dr. Habib W. Macaayong and his better half Rehanna Biston Marmay, MSHS Director Prof. Junaina Dimalna used the pause and initiated the and renovation of the former CHS Building. Generally, the renovation had been quick and smooth-sailing, save for some pauses due to weather conditions and pandemic related restrictions, because it was not inconvenienced by the holding of classes, as would have been the case if there were no community quarantine in place. The rooms were cleaned, repainted, and completed with all facilities necessary for its use, such as armchairs and whiteboards. Comfort rooms, a reading room and an educational media room were also added to the new school premises.

Hence, in January 2021, the MSHS students, and even the faculty members were in for a surprise. The classrooms they used to complain about are now good as new, with new shiny whiteboards and sturdy, freshly-painted walls and ceilings. Except for the memories of student nurses who used to frequent the premises, there was almost no trace that the new MSHS building was indeed a ‘former’ CHS building. With the new building and its new facilities for students, teachers and staff alike, the easier accommodation and accomplishment of students’ requests were made possible. Thanks to the University System President, Dr. Habib W. Macaayong through University Fiscal Officer Faisal Mangandog, who also leads the finance team, Vice President Atty. Jamaloden A. Basar, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Atty. Saadudin Alauya Jr., CPA, University Chief Accountant Saliha Guinal, CPA, University Finance Department Director Tarhata Capal, CPA and University Cashier Hashmina M. Dimalna, CPA, MPA. Most importantly, thanks to the sincere support and efforts of the beloved MSU – MSHS Director and mother, Prof. Junaina M. Dimalna through the University Physical Plant Division, Director Engr. Agay Mangondaya, MSHS students will now enjoy the new experience of having their school truly feel like a second home.

Faculty Promotion

The MSU MSHS faculty members indeed have a lot to be thankful for this academic year despite the pandemic, as a long-dreamt promotion was finally made possible in the term of its current director, Prof. Junaina M. Dimalna. Around the start of the first semester of A.Y. 2020-2021, a conversion of the faculty was implemented for the promotion of the teachers, changing the rank and position of the teachers into collegiate level from “Teacher 1” to “Instructor 1” and providing a rise in their salary as their position is in the same level as college instructors. “It’s a dream come true! I will say that we once thought that it is impossible, but it did happen. Thanks to the tireless and unwavering support of our Director, this promotion is a boost to our self-confidence,” Ms. Basmah Hussain, one of the instructors said. She added that she is very thankful for they feel that their pride as an instructor under the Mindanao State University is now complete. “We were a little embarrassed of our titles as Teacher 1 before, because we were working among college instructors and professors. Now we feel proud that we are able to achieve this position. Thanks to the promotion initiated by our Director, under the administration of our System President, Dr. Habib W. Macaayong, we finally feel that we are professional instructors,” said faculty member Ms. Hannah Abdulmalik. She stated that after they were promoted, the idea that they would be able to attain higher and greater level of promotion was not anymore just an imagination. “This administration has done so much for us,” Ms. Abdulmalik added.

Overload Pay

Anent to this, in December 2019, the faculty members received their overload payment for the first time since the establishment of the Pre-University Center, which now serves as the university’s Senior High School wing. Before last year, faculty members were only given their basic monthly salary as compensation for their full-time teaching loads and even the additional loads. This is despite the fact that most, if not all, teachers are given additional loads of six to 18 units on top of their regular teaching load of 20 units. This means that units in excess of the 20-unit regular load is and should be considered as an overload, which, in most cases, especially among college instructors in the university, should be compensated. However, these “extra miles” only saw “thank yous” in the past several years, when Pre-University teachers held a minimum of 30 units to a whopping 50 units including their advisory classes. Thankfully, this year and the years to come, these extra miles will be more than worth going for, as the teachers now receive additional compensation. This feat (and more to come?) would not have been possible without the aid of the following: President Habib W. Macaayong through University Fiscal Officer Faisal Mangandog, the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Alma E. Berowa and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Florencio D. Recoleto, Jr., who all believed that the MSU MSHS teachers deserve this promotion and raise.