DAVAO CITY, Philippines — A broken classroom can turn a teacher into a carpenter. An injured student can make them a first aid responder. A school project can add another job to an already crowded workload.
For Elenito Escalante, president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers in Davao Region (ACT-Davao), this is what it means to be a teacher today.
“We have what we call a jack-of-all-trades teacher. A teacher does not simply teach,” Escalante said in Cebuano during a news conference on Oct. 5.
On World and National Teachers’ Day, ACT-Davao called for higher salaries, more personnel and better working conditions, saying teachers are being asked to carry responsibilities beyond classroom instruction without adequate compensation.
‘Jack-of-all-trades’
Escalante said teachers already handle multiple subjects, particularly in elementary schools, depending on their specialization.
But classroom teaching is only part of their work, he said.
“Beyond that situation, when there is a Department of Education project, the teacher also ends up doing the work.”
For ACT, the problem is made worse by staffing shortages.
Pilar Barredo, also of ACT-Davao, said hiring has taken place, but the number of new teachers remains insufficient for the number of schools across different clusters.
“Each cluster has many schools, and only a few teachers are actually hired and deployed to the schools,” Barredo said.
The shortage means existing teachers have to absorb work that could otherwise be distributed among additional personnel.
More work, same pay
ACT’s salary demand comes as the group raises concerns over teachers’ cost of living and debt.
The group said nine out of 10 public school teachers earn below the family living wage, while three out of four teachers are in debt.
“In general, the salary is really insufficient. Because of the low pay, some teachers have resorted to borrowing money through loans and other ways to augment their income,” Escalante said.
ACT is also pushing for higher entry-level salaries for faculty members in state universities and colleges.
Escalante said the group is seeking Salary Grade 16 for state universities and colleges (SUCs) faculty, up from the current Salary Grade 12 classification for Instructor I. He said the demand is partly based on the qualifications required of SUC teachers.
“The qualification for a teacher in an SUC is that they need to have a master’s degree,” he said.
Escalante said ACT sees a disparity between the qualifications required of SUC faculty and their current entry-level compensation.
Glory Dee Romo, a faculty member and secretary of the All UP Academic Employees Union-UP Mindanao Chapter, called for a P50,000 entry-level salary for SUC faculty.
Romo said faculty members perform duties beyond teaching, including preparing learning materials, advising students, supervising theses and research projects, conducting research and extension activities, and handling committee and accreditation work.
She also said faculty members often shoulder professional development expenses such as tuition, training, conferences, professional memberships, internet and equipment.
“However, we should not stop with the increase in the entry-level salary. Instead, we also call for reasonable workload, sufficient staffing, enabling institutional conditions for research and publication requirements, and policies for the provision of public quality education without placing the faculty members in a position where they need to make personal sacrifices,” Romo said.
ACT’s petition likewise seeks a P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers, including a P36,000 basic salary for Salary Grade 1 workers and higher Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) from P2,000 to P5,000.
Promotion without pay
Teachers also raised concerns over the implementation of the Expanded Career Progression program.
Barredo said some teachers who have gone through the promotion process are still waiting for the corresponding salary adjustments.
“When it comes to promotion, some have been ranked, but there is still no budget for them. They have been promoted in name, but they have not yet been paid according to their rank. Only a few have received it.” (davaotoday.com)
