Free On-Site Living Quarters for Teachers

Bill seeking free boarding and lodging for teachers teaching away from their homes

Senator Grace Poe filed a bill seeking free on-site housing, board and lodging for public school teachers teaching far away from their hometowns and families.

Poe filed Senate Bill No. 934 also known as FREE ON-SITE LIVING QUARTERS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ACT with long title “AN ACT MANDATING THE PROVISION OF FREE ON-SITE LIVING QUARTERS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.” dated August 20, 2019.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

According to the Department of Education (DepEd), there were 22.9 million students who enrolled in public elementary schools and high schools nationwide for the school year 2017-2018. For the school year 2019-2020, DepEd reported that there would be 27 million enrollees, which is around 3% higher than the school year 2018-2019.

In the 2017 budget of DepEd, around Php19.5 Billion was allocated for the creation of 58,831 teacher positions and 13,391 non-teaching positions.

The above-mentioned statistics simply illustrate that there is a huge demand for the services of public school teachers to ensure that quality education is indeed accessible and should be affordable for all Filipino children.

The focus of this legislative measure is a concern/aspect of public education that seems to be out of reach by statistics. Unknown to most of Filipinos, lots of public school teachers are forced to teach in public schools located far away from their respective hometowns, far away from their respective families. Some teach within the same town but in the remotest of barrios in said town.

To be able to save time and energy, some of the teachers opt to incur board and lodging expenses in exchange of the daily financial and physical struggle required by travelling from their homes to the public schools where they teach at.

Teaching is a very noble profession and is something that becomes part of each and every future graduate and/or professional. Though education must be made accessible and affordable for Filipino children and/or youth, it should not, on the other hand, provide added burden and sacrifice on the part of our public school teachers who have already opted to teach away from their homes and families to teach in the remotest of areas all around the country.

This legislative measure seeks the provision of free on-site housing and/or board and lodging for the above-illustrated public school teachers who are teaching away from their homes and families, among others. The ultimate goals of this legislative measure are to ensure that the remotest of areas all around the country would not lack competent and dedicated public school teachers and to ensure that said areas are not the “last choice” of existing and/or aspiring public school teachers.

In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this legislative measure is earnestly sought.

Signed by Senator GRACE POE