For the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Cordillera, no amount of lip service would uplift the country’s education system, reiterating that the best way to honor Filipino educators is to respond to their needs.
Ahead of the celebration of the National and World Teachers’ Day (NTD/WTD), ACT asked the public to support educators’ demands for “decisive measures” to address the country’s education crisis.
“The dismal learning poverty caused by the pandemic and the continuing education crisis has taken a toll on both learners and educators alike,” said ACT in a press statement on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Lamenting on the situation of teachers, ACT said the new normal has aggravated the “shabby” workload of Filipino educators in the face of “meager” salaries. With the current set up in place, teachers, according to the group, now have to spend additional hours teaching students without receiving proper compensation.
This prompted ACT to demand support from the national government, stressing its call for higher education budget, provision of education supplies, establishment of facilities, and employment of additional personnel to ease the burden of the ongoing crisis.
“Be done with the usual platitudes of Bagong Bayani and similar lip service. We believe we can do more – for our teachers and our youth,” it furthered.