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By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter
The Senate Committee on Education headed by Sen.
Alan Peter Cayetano has endorsed a consolidated bill seeking to
increase the monthly salary of public school teachers by P9,000.
“After a technical working group submits some
refinements, I will sponsor it on the floor at the earliest time
possible,” he told The Manila Times.
The additional pay will not be given immediately
but in three equal annual installments. After the third year, the
teachers will enjoy the full increase.
Aside from public school teachers, the salary
hike will also benefit locally funded teachers, Philippine Science
High School System teaching and non-teaching personnel, and
non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education, excluding
those who are assistant secretary in rank or higher.
Plus, beneficiaries will also receive P1,000 a
year for medical checkup and a Magna Carta bonus.
The bill authorizes local school boards to
augment the allowances of teachers without prejudicing the required
budget for classrooms.
Aside from Cayetano, the consolidated bill came
from measures filed separately by Senators Edgardo Angara, Francis
Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes 4th, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Loren Legarda,
Bong Revilla and Miriam Defensor Santiago.
Angara said the low salaries received by
public-school teachers have been a major disincentive for them to
improve their skills in teaching and pursue further education and
training.
“In addition, the public schools have failed
to attract the best and the brightest graduates from the top
colleges and universities because of the low salary levels,
preventing our public education system from benefiting from the
knowledge and expertise of qualified teachers,” he said.
Studies showed that most teachers have net
take-home pay of less than P5,000 after all the deductions,
including taxes and pension.
Cayetano said, “If we want quality teachers,
then we must be ready to pay them more.”
After the salary increase, the Senate Committee
on Education would concentrate on looking for funds to ease the
acute shortage of classrooms, estimating the required funds at P45
billion, he added.
“Maybe, we could get some from the
unprogrammed portion of the budget,” Cayetano said. “The
P8-billion subsidy being given by President Arroyo did not come from
the programmed budget approved by Congress, so that means there is
money somewhere. We hope that a sizeable amount would be given for
the building of classrooms.”
The Senate committee is also looking at
upgrading the high school curricula so that graduates would
immediately have the skills and knowledge needed for employment.
Cayetano noted that many secondary graduates abroad are ready for
the job market after leaving high school.
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