Paying attention to our teachers, finally

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday gave an honest but optimistic view on the current status of our education sector.

The issue of our sorry performance when it comes to international standards of learning remains “a poor reality” to the President, “that more than half of our grades 6, 10 and 12 students have failed to reach the ideal proficiency levels.”

Despite this, President Marcos firmly declared his vision that the Filipino youth can be more than just literate, but to be problem-solvers and critical thinkers, “hungry for success, ready for the future.”

“Educational reform through technology” was one of the most promising perspectives from the President. But before we can modernize our classrooms, I believe we should build more first. A report from the Department of Education (DepEd) last year revealed that for the 2023-2024 school year, we were short of 159,000 classrooms. Based on the department’s own standards for classroom-to-student ratio – one classroom for every 40 senior high and junior students – then more than half of our classrooms are congested or cramped.

Just as important to the President were the teachers who will lead these classrooms, who he described as “the very foundation of our educational system.” Indeed, he deliberated on the government’s ongoing work to assist teachers and help them fulfill their role in our national learning recovery.

Among these initiatives were the increased hiring of school staff and teaching assistants to unburden teachers from the hundreds of hours they spend in administrative work, and help them stay focused on their primary mandate. “Every classroom we build will be but an empty and lifeless structure without its moving force, the teacher,” said Marcos.

Teachers will soon be given an additional allowance from the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, which allocates funds for the purchase of teaching equipment and other needs. Public school teachers, additionally, are now entitled to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS)’s personal accident insurance.

Moreover, teachers can look forward to a more rewarding career progression, as the President vowed to put an end to “utang-tagging.” Like other licensed professionals, unpaid loans could apparently dissuade teachers from renewing their licenses. He also announced an expanded career progression system for public school teachers with two major career paths, the teaching track and school administration track. “Sa sistemang ito, wala nang public school teacher ang magre-retire na Teacher 1 lamang,” said President Marcos. (With a system like this, no public school teacher will retire with just a Teacher 1 rank.)

The President hoped that through this renewed focus on supporting teachers, we’re giving one of the education sector’s most important pillars a much-need reinforcement.

The undertaking ahead is indeed a significant one, that the newly-minted Education Secretary Sonny Angara found himself addressed specifically during the speech.

“Ito ngayon ang magiging hamon sa ating bagong kalihim: na tiyakin ang pagbangon at pagtaas ng kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa, sa lalong madaling panahon,” said President Marcos. (This now is the challenge for our new secretary: to ensure the recovery and upswing in quality of education in the country, as soon as possible.)

(To be continued)