Amid closures of private schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a group expressed appreciation for the stand of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on the demands for salary increase among teachers in public schools.

Federation of Associations of Private Schools Administrators (FAPSA) Eleazardo Kasilag, in a statement issued Friday, Sept. 16, said that the stand of Duterte, who is the concurrent Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary, is a “pinch of relief” for private schools that have been bearing the brunt of the pandemic.

During the House appropriations committee deliberations on the proposed P710-billion DepEd budget for 2023, Duterte explained that increasing the salary of public school teachers will later force more private schools to shut down.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/19/425-private-schools-have-permanently-closed-amid-the-covid-19-pandemic-deped/

“Personally, I do not know the implication of this statement of Secretary Duterte but for our group which has gotten used to surviving on the crumbs from the table, any statement that recognizes our dire situation is gratifying,” said Kasilag.

Kasilag reiterated that the salary benchmark should be the salary of private school teachers as there is a “wide disparity” between those who teach in public schools.

FAPSA also appealed for “fairness” to help smaller private schools --- particularly those that are outside of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE) which handles the voucher and subsidy from the government.

Kasilag alleged that the voucher and subsidy from the government --- which is coursed through the FAPE --- was “never enjoyed by small private schools.”

More than ever, he pointed out that “needy and helpless” private schools need support from the government to avoid further closure.

Meanwhile, Kasilag expressed disappointment with the move of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) to get a “share in the Internet allowance of public school teachers exclusively for its own members and not for the entire private school education sector.”

Kasilag said that FAPSA has already submitted a position paper to the office of Congressman Roman Romulo, Committee chair on Basic Education in the house, appealing for a review of policies on private school regulations “especially on subsidies since schools’ closure has become enormous this pandemic.”

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On COCOPEA’s part, Managing Director Joseph Noel Estrada “categorically denied” the statement he supposedly made in the hearing as understood by FAPSA.

Estrada told the Mania Bulletin that during the hearing at the House Committee on Basic Education on Sept. 13, two bills proposing monthly internet allowance for public school teachers were deliberated upon.

On behalf of COCOPEA and the private education sector, Estrada said he “appealed for the inclusion of all private school teachers in the proposal” especially those serving in Education Service Contracting (ECS) schools and Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP) schools.

Contrary to FAPSA’s claims, Estrada said: “I argued based on equity.”

Citing Article III, Section 1 of Bill of Rights which says: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws,” Estrada pointed out that the “inclusion of private school teachers is about equity.”

During the hearing, Estrada also stressed that there ”should be no dichotomy in addressing teachers’ need” thus, those in the private schools also “deserve assistance” from the State.

“It’s about teacher empowerment. An empowered teacher is an efficient teacher. The quality of our teachers is key to ensuring quality education,” Estrada said.

Given this, Estrada denied that he proposed inclusion only of COCOPEA members.

“Moreover, the reference to teachers in ESC schools and SHS Vp schools came about only after the matter of budgetary constraints were raised on giving P1,500 monthly allowance to 800,000 plus public school teachers,” he said.

Currently, Estrada noted that there is an estimate of less than 100,000 teachers in ESC and SHS VP schools.