In recognition of the challenges faced by private school teachers, a group launched an online and on-ground petition on Wednesday, Oct. 4, to advocate for the establishment of minimum salary standards and the provision of salary subsidies for teachers in private schools.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers - Private Schools (ACT-Private Schools) launched the petition on the eve of the World Teachers’ Day (WTD) celebration set on Oct. 5.

“Our private school teachers would also want to be recognized and appreciated by the government this World Teachers Day,” ACT Private Schools Secretary-General Dr. Jonathan Geronimo said in a statement.

“The best it can do is protect their economic well-being by addressing the problem of unregulated and grossly low salaries,” he added.

‘Gross exploitation’

The petition aims to gather thousands of signatures in support of the demand for the government to set minimum salary standards for private school teachers, at par with public school rates, and grant salary subsidies to private schools which are incapable of paying the set standards.

“One in every four teachers in the Philippines teach in private schools, and they are the most underpaid section of our mentors,” Geronimo said.

“They too are workers who deserve liveable and decent salaries, they too are heroes of nation-building who deserve the attention and protection of the State,” he added.

Geronimo explained that the deregulation of private school teacher salaries has resulted in “gross exploitation” as 93 percent of private school teachers “receive a starting salary lower than the entry-level pay of Teacher I in public schools.”

“Worse, 58 percent are paid a starting salary of P15,000 and below, or less than the monthly minimum wage received by laborers in the National Capital Region,” Geronimo said.

“With the incessant rise in prices of goods, one can only imagine the dire living conditions of private school teachers behind their pressed uniforms and dignified veneer,” he added.

Geronimo lamented that the government has been using the low salaries of our private school teachers as a “justification” to counter the demand of public school teachers for rightful salary increases.

“Enough of the government using our private school teachers as an alibi for abandoning its duty to public school teachers, instead, we assert its equal responsibility to ensure decent standards of living for private school teachers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Geronimo urged small community schools run by private entities in the country, to support the group’s call and demand for salary subsidy being State partners in the delivery of education.

ACT Private Schools is partnering with private school faculty associations and unions to gather signatures for the petition on-ground, nationwide.

The petition can also be accessed online through googleforms and change.org platforms.

The group plans to file the petition before the Congress by December.