ACT Teachers party-list group’s Christmas wish: New DepEd secretary

MANILA, Philippines — Teachers and education personnel wish to have a new Department of Education (DepEd) secretary this Christmas due to what they describe as the failure of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to address the issues within the education sector, the ACT Teachers party-list group said on Monday, Dec. 25.

The ACT Teachers released on Christmas Day the “12 Wishes” of teachers and school employees for Christmas, which is headlined by a call for a new DepEd secretary alongside a transformative shift in working conditions and better wages.

“One of the main wishes of many teachers and education personnel is for the DepEd to have a new secretary who prioritizes teachers and students, and one that has real experience in the education sector,” the group said in a statement.

It stressed that Duterte, who has been education chief since June last year, could not enact “tangible changes” in the education sector.

“The salaries of many teachers and school staff remain low and unsustainable. The Philippines continues to fail in various international student assessments such as the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment). Under Sara Duterte’s leadership, the DepEd continues to red-tag and attack teachers and staff who express their calls and interests,” the group lamented.

“With the number of problems facing the education sector, there is a need for a new DepEd secretary who will respond to the issues facing the sector,” it added.

Also at the heart of teachers’ wishes is raising the wages of teachers and non-teaching personnel, according to ACT Teachers, as it noted how over 90 percent of public school teachers do not make a living wage despite being overworked.

The group said it is also important for teachers and non-teaching personnel to have a 77-day overtime pay if the government is serious about “matching the compensation of teachers with the service they render.”

The group also highlighted teachers’ wishes for the government to approve the P10,000 teaching supplies allowance, currently at P7,500 for school year 2024-2025.

Aside from this, the group also asked the DepEd to give the full P20,000 to teachers under their Service Recognition Incentives.

Teachers also wish for official sick leave, abolition of the 15-day service credit limit and the Results-Based Performance Management System, reformation of the Government Service Insurance System and legislation for the optional retirement for teachers at the age of 56, according to ACT Teachers.

Meanwhile, teachers want the government to make the month of June the official start of classes as the current setup where schools reopen in August has become a health risk for students and teachers due to worsening weather conditions, according to the group.

Teachers also demand to hold accountable the perpetrators of the red-baiting and terror-labeling of teachers amid their calls for a better education system.