ANGARA PUSHES FOR INCREASE IN TEACHERS' PAY

In observance of Labor Day, Senator Edgardo J. Angara has called for the upgrading of the minimum salaries of public school teachers from Grade 10 to 19, which corresponds to almost a P6,000 extra income in their monthly basic salaries.

"We must make the compensation package of the teachers at par with comparable professions," Angara stressed during the Senate Hearing on Upgrading the Minimum Salary Grade of Teachers.

He noted that at present, the salaries of other government employees are much higher compared to the salaries of public school teachers. "When the rest of the bureaucracy are getting their salary increases, teachers are stuck to salary grade level 10, the entry level for public school teachers."

Citing the pitiful condition of public school teachers in the elementary and secondary levels, Angara emphasized the need to modernize and implement some of the provisions in the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers. "Some provisions in the Magna Carta have not been implemented up to now, like the hazard pay."

Angara said that back in 1991, the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) had recommended upgrading the minimum salary levels of teachers from Grade 10 to 17 only. He said, however, that the increase needs to be more significant given the increase in the cost of living today.

"In our country, there seems to be no promising career path for teachers, with unattractive rewards, heavy teaching loads, jam-packed classrooms, lack of opportunities for growth and even unemployment for many of them," he said.

"By increasing our teachers' salaries, more qualified and competent educators will be attracted to teach in public schools instead of leaving the country and their families to teach abroad."

He explained that an increase in teachers' salaries will greatly help motivate our teachers strive for excellence in their field and improve the quality of education in public schools, and also lessen the exodus of our best teachers to foreign countries.

Angara also underscored the importance of teachers' training, saying that the will and determination to put more investment into teachers' education is critical especially at this time when education has become international.

"Our Science and Math are the weakest area in education. In fact, more than half of our science teachers are not really science majors."

For this reason, Angara created a resolution creating the Congressional Committee on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) that will study the state of Science and Technology in the Philippines. Angara is a former President of the University of the Philippines (UP) and former chair of the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM). As a Senator, he has authored many of the country's education reform laws including the Free High School Act, CHED, TESDA, and GASTPE.