The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched reintegration initiatives for overseas Filipino worker (OFW) teachers forced to return home amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

The programs were introduced Monday during the inter-agency Bagong Pilipinas Bayanihan Para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network and Job Fair.

DepEd data showed that the “Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir” (SPIMS) program has helped 11,056 licensed teachers transition from overseas work into Philippine public schools.

The Department of Migrant Workers said the program has also provided financial assistance to 8,047 teachers and online refresher courses to 521 others.

During the job fair, DepEd offered on-site registration for the Accreditation and Equivalency tests and the Philippine Educational Placement Test for OFW teachers and their children.

The department also extended access to the Senior High School Voucher Program for students in private schools and the Teacher Education Scholarship Program for OFW families.

One beneficiary, Veronica Dungog, who previously worked in the United Arab Emirates, said the program enabled her return to teaching after being displaced by the pandemic.

“Through SPIMS, I was assured that I could teach again. Within a year, I was deployed, and now I’m teaching at West Crame Elementary School in Metro Manila,” she said.