Marcos vows response to education sector’s needs

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has vowed to respond to the needs of the education sector days before the end of National Teachers’ Month.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Marcos paid tribute to teachers, calling them “heroes of children’s education.”

“As we thank you for all that you do, we also continue to work harder to improve your lives,” he said. “The Marcos-Duterte administration will remain hard at work in addressing the needs of our schools, our teachers and our students.”

The National Teachers’ Month started last Sept. 5 and will end on Oct. 5.

World Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated every Oct. 5, commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 International Labor Organization-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recommendation on the status of teachers.

The recommendation set benchmarks on the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their employment and teaching and learning conditions.

In an earlier statement, the Department of Education (DepEd) said this year’s National Teachers’ Month, which carries the theme “Together4Teachers,” seeks to acknowledge and emphasize teachers’ crucial role, loyal service and dedicated commitment to developing globally minded citizens, nurturing families, strengthening communities and building the nation.

The Philippines is celebrating National Teachers’ Month as some teachers are asking the Marcos administration to increase their salaries and to augment the budget for the education sector.

The Teachers Dignity Coalition has called on the government to go beyond the praises, raise the living standards of teachers and ensure better working conditions.

In a statement released by Malacañang yesterday, Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also the education secretary, assured the public that the government would always support teachers.

“We thank the teachers for their service to the nation and we are extending support to them so they will be resilient in facing the challenges of educating our learners,” Duterte said in Filipino. “The Department of Education and the entire national government and the local governments are always here to support our teachers and schools.”

Last Sunday, the Office of the President held a concert at the Malacañang grounds to recognize the efforts and sacrifices of teachers. — Delon Porcalla