EDITORIAL — Overworked, underpaid

Teachers’ groups have announced their readiness for the start of the school year today. But they are also reminding the government of their appeal for an increase of P15,000 in their monthly pay.

The entry-level basic pay of a public school teacher is P31,705. There is a standard Personal Economic Relief Allowance of P2,000. But with mandatory deductions, the net pay comes down to P24,000 to P26,000.

Such amounts make it an outrage to see senators not reporting for work, with one of them absent for seven months now, but still getting his full pay and perks.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, on the run since last November amid an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, continues to receive his basic pay of about P300,000 a month plus allowances as well as the millions in maintenance and operating expenses for his Senate office, which is reportedly packed with 10 of his relatives, all of them on the public payroll. As a former four-star police general, he also gets a monthly pension of about P300,000.

Meanwhile, public school teachers, mostly overworked and underpaid, must settle for a fraction of those amounts for their net earnings. The teachers’ pay scales follow salary grades in the bureaucracy. But they incur additional expenses related to their work, which the government can address.

As the annual Brigada Eskwela got underway last week, teachers lamented that they had to shell out from their own pockets money for the repair and cleanup not only of their classrooms but even the school restrooms.

A survey conducted by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers showed that about 75 percent of public school teachers reported spending their own money for Brigada Eskwela.

Teachers this year have reported spending amounts ranging from P3,000 to P13,500 for the repair of desks, chairs and ceilings as well as repainting and even the purchase of electric fans. The amounts are significant for those earning less than P30,000 a month.

They said they spent their own money because they wanted their schools and classrooms to be presentable and comfortable for their students, despite funding constraints from the government.

If the government cannot provide the higher pay demanded by the teachers, it should at least address the funding requirements to create a school environment conducive to learning.