DepEd ordered to study proposal on teachers' pay hike

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has directed the Department of Education to look into the proposal of the country’s public school teachers for a P9,000 increase in their monthly salary.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Anthony Golez said that the issues raised by the public school teacher groups would be presented to the DepEd for review.

“Because of these clamors, we are going to present this issue to the Department of Education to review and study the proposal,” Golez said.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC), Philippine Public School Teachers Association (PPSTA), and other allied groups have spoken out against a proposal in the House of Representatives to hike the salaries of public school teachers by a mere P6,000.

In the Senate’s version of the bill for the same purpose, the proposed hike would be P9,000 as demanded by the teachers.

According to the teachers, they deserve more than a P6,000 increase considering their level of work and credentials.

Golez emphasized that teachers play a very important role in the country, particularly in nurturing the development of the students.

“Our teachers are the foundation for the development of our children and theirs is a profession that we have to protect and nurture,” Golez said in Filipino.

Golez said that the Palace would wait for the results of the review of the DepEd before taking any action on the proposal of the teachers.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has also expressed support to the proposal.

“I have been strongly espousing that teachers’ salary should be upgraded from the equivalent of an Army private to that of a lieutenant. Otherwise, teaching will not be considered a preferred profession of the best and the brightest,” Lapus said.