With World Teachers’ Day coming up, higher salary for teachers pushed anew

• ACT-Teachers Party-list France Castro reiterated her call to the administration to prioritize wage hike for educators nationwide as the Philippines is set to celebrate the World Teachers’ Day in a few days.
• Castro also urged the administration to submit to the House immediately its proposal for a three-tranche salary increase.
• October 5 marks the World Teachers’ Day to honor teachers and teacher organizations, a worldwide event launched by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

MANILA, Philippines—A few days ahead of the World Teachers’ Day, a party-list lawmaker advocating for the sector called on the Duterte administration to heed their request for a salary increase for educators nationwide.

“Public school teachers are paid less than other employees with less qualifications, such as mere candidate soldiers or police trainees in government, and call center agents in the private sector,” ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said in her privilege speech Monday.

“Private school teachers, especially those in small and so-called “low-cost” schools, are paid even lower, with some having salaries of ₱3,000.  Especially with the regressive excise taxes brought by TRAIN, the bitter joke among public and private school teachers is that ‘their take-home pay really cannot take them home’ and that ‘London’ is the only way to go,” she added.

“The struggle for substantial salary increase therefore still remains.  We believe that the ₱31.1 billion already in the 2020 budget for salary increases is a victory that should be credited to every social media campaign, every congressional lobbying, every rally or street protest, and every mass leave bravely launched by our teachers and their unions.  But this is a victory based on justice, and a victory that must even be amplified considering (1) that we have yet to see the concrete proposal coming from the Duterte administration and (2) that such proposal (allegedly 10% across the board and in three tranches) will still not be enough in light of the spike in prices of basic commodities and services,” she added.

Apart from a substantial hike, Castro also urged the administration to submit to the House immediately its proposal for a three-tranche salary increase.

“The 1966 Recommendation also urges the government that ‘The social security protection of teachers should take account of their particular conditions of employment.’  It has provisions on the medical and sickness benefits of teachers, among others. In short, the government should take care of the health of teachers,” the lawmaker added.

October 5 marks the World Teachers’ Day to honor teachers and teacher organizations, a worldwide event launched by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

Source: House of Representatives