DepEd backs P9T pay hike for teachers

CEBU - The petition for P9,000 across the board wage increase for public school teachers has gained the all-out support of Department of Education, said DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus.

DepEd also approves the proposed Salary Standardization Law 3 which mandates for an output-based income for all employees of the government.

Lapus said teachers are the noblest professionals, thus, they deserve to at least receive equal salary to those who are in the police force.

The average P10,933 monthly salary of some 450,000 teachers nationwide is one of the lowest in the country according to reports.

With this, Lapus suggests that the P9000 across the board wage increase be passed first followed by the SSL3 so teachers would have a high minimum pay, which would become higher with the SSL3.

Civil Service Commission Chairman Ricardo Saludo has mentioned that teachers and health workers are just among those who will benefit the most from the SSL3 since they are the ones producing more outputs.

Lapus said it’s time to upgrade teachers’ salary because “we need to make teaching the most preferred profession.”

He said the country as always, is in need of more quality teachers, adding the country needs 30,000 more teachers for the 43,000 schools nationwide. The needed 30,000 would only give one teacher per school.

Lapus said that although the country has more than enough education graduates every year, it does not solve the problem because what the department needs is quality.

He said the Commission on Higher Education has to monitor institutions which are not producing quality graduates in basic education.

Lapus said DepEd still needs additional items for the teachers and principals. — Jessica Ann Pareja/WAB (THE FREEMAN)