Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte announced reforms to ease the workload of public school teachers at the celebration of National Teachers’ Month at the Panaad Sports Complex in Bacolod City on Friday afternoon, September 8.
“These initiatives are a testament to our understanding of your challenges and our determination to ensure you focus on what you do best, and that is, teaching,” Duterte said.
Duterte, who spoke before 3,425 teachers and personnel of the Negros Occidental Schools Division, was accompanied by senators Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino.
Marcos and Tolentino pledged to continue to push for legislative measures, including financial benefits, for the teachers. On the prodding of Duterte they also committed to give the teachers at the Panaad P1,000 each.
Marcos also announced that the teachers at the affair would each receive 25 kilos of rice and lipstick.
A raffle that included printers, television sets and laptops was also held.
Duterte, in her speech, announced the reduction of the teachers administrative tasks from 56 to only 11, and assured them of 30-day straight breaks after a school year.
The DepEd is also working on launching a website to provide teachers legal assistance for financial loan contract problems, she said.
Duterte said she also wants to end the culture of “palakasan” in the DepEd hiring system, which has closed doors to competent, deserving and qualified applicants.
The automated system that they are developing will ensure an objective selection process for the hiring and promotion of personnel, Duterte said.
“DepEd’s vision is to provide innovative long term solutions to basic education challenges,” she also said.
Marcos said the Senate is pushing to institutionalize and increase the teaching allowance for public school teachers, commonly known as “chalk allowance”.
Under the measure, the teaching allowance will be gradually increased from the current P5,000 to P7,500 and thereafter to P10,000, she said.
Legislative action is also being taken to ensure that teachers are not forever stuck at salary grade 11, she said.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and the mayors of Negros Occidental, Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District) and Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod) were also at the Teachers’ Day rites.
“Today, we come together to pay tribute to our teachers, recognizing their outstanding achievements, selfless dedication, and remarkable service,” Lacson said.
He told the teachers they can count on the provincial government to empower and assist them.
Department of Education-Western Visayas Regional Director Ramir Uytico and Provincial Schools Division Superintendent Anthony Liobet lauded the teachers for their dedication.*