As the House Committee on Basic Education held a hearing on the proposed Career Progression System for public teachers, a group on Monday, March 20, called on Congress and the Department of Education (DepEd) to formulate policies that would ensure a “fair and just” merit and promotion system.

Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) said that the DepEd’s promotion system should also be made “responsive” to the needs of teachers and the education sector.

"Sabi po ng ating Saligang Batang dapat ang propesyon ng pagtuturo ay maging kaaya-aya sa mga pinakamahuhusay na guro at panatilihin silang masaya, masipag, kuntento at dedikado sa kanilang napiling bokasyon (Our Constitution said that the teaching profession should be pleasant to the best teachers and keep them happy, hardworking, satisfied and dedicated to their chosen vocation),” TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas said.

Basas said that teachers should be given proper compensation, benefits and due appreciation. “Pero kabaligtaran ang nangyayari, nagiging masigasig at masaya lamang ang mga guro sa mga unang taon ng pagtuturo, bandang huli ay bumababa na ang motibasyon (But the opposite happens, teachers become enthusiastic and happy only in the first years of teaching, later their motivation decreases),” he added.

Some of the reasons for such, Basas said, include low pay and inadequate benefits as well as “heavy workloads and the unjustified clerical tasks that rob teachers of quality time.” Aside from having to endure work in such a situation, Basas noted that teacher promotion remains “very difficult” for teachers.

Currently, Basas said that items such as master teacher at head teacher are limited. “Kadalasan din ang sukatan ng promosyon ng mga guro ay ang naipasa niyang papel o report, diploma o post graduate studies units at hindi kung paano, saan at gaano ba siya katagal na nagturo (Often, the measure of teachers' promotion is based on the paper or report they have submitted, diploma or post graduate studies units they passed and not how, where and how long they have been teaching),” he added.

‘Unfair’

For TDC, proper rewards and recognition are not given to teachers who patiently teach in remote areas or last-mile schools --- where teachers are most needed.

These are also not given to those who have “no chance to be promoted” because they have limited or no access to graduate schools.

While these teachers are considered the “most dedicated,” many of them just grow old and retire as Teachers I. “

“Sa palagay ko ay nakapa-unfair nito hindi lang para sa ating mga guro kundi pati na rin sa ating mga mag-aaral, (I think it is unfair not only for our teachers but also for our students),” he added.

Better policies for teachers

This is the reason why TDC supports the Career Progression Policy which now has two versions, the DepEd version under former President Duterte's EO 174 and the version of the legislature that is now being heard in the House Basic Education Committee.

The said policies, TDC said, seek to expand the positions of public school teachers. However, TDC joins the sentiment of the National Head Teachers Association of the Philippines (NaHTAP) that the Head Teacher position should not be removed because of their important roles and functions in public schools.

Both DepEd and House proposals state that new items will no longer be created when natural vacancies occur among incumbents. In particular, the TDC hopes to implement the gradual progression of teachers' salaries through regular increments which are mandated by the Magna Carta for Teachers, free post-graduate studies for teachers, and removal of the limit on the number of Master Teachers to allow all the qualified teachers.

The group is also pushing for prioritizing the length of experience of teachers especially those assigned in far-flung areas in promotions, maintaining and increasing the position and salary of those in the supervisory track, especially the Head Teachers, and replacing the cumbersome and complicated Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS) with the previous Performance Appraisal System for Teachers (PAST).