Citing the results of its own survey conducted among teachers of 73 private schools nationwide, ACT Private Schools found that the majority of them receive “pitifully low” salaries.
ACT Private Schools said that about 64.2 percent of the respondents receive monthly salaries “even less than the entry-level salary of public school teachers” at P27,000 monthly.
The starting salaries for teachers in 58 percent of the private schools that participated in the survey are “even lower” than the minimum wage of workers in Metro Manila at P15,000 or below monthly, ACT Private Schools said.
ACT Private Schools called on President Marcos and Congress to prioritize legislation for the "betterment of our welfare as these will surely redound to education quality.”
Salaries of private school teachers should be at par with those in public schools --- group
At a glance
A group urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to declare in his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) the setting of a minimum salary standard for private school teachers that is equivalent to the entry-level salary of public school teachers.
(RIO DELUVIO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE)
“We perform the same duties and make the same valuable contributions in molding the future of the youth and our nation, therefore, private school teachers only deserve to be paid with what is received by our counterparts in public schools,” said Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Private Schools Secretary General Jonathan Geronimo in a statement issued Monday, July 17.
“As the Constitution regards private schools as State partners in delivering accessible and quality education, the government has the obligation to protect the rights and welfare of private school teachers,” Geronimo added.
‘Pitifully low’ salaries
Citing the results of a survey conducted among teachers of 73 private schools nationwide, ACT Private Schools found that the majority of them receive “pitifully low” salaries.
The survey, conducted from June 5 to 30, aimed to assess the labor situation of teachers employed in private schools nationwide.
Based on the survey, ACT Private Schools noted that about 64.2 percent of the respondents receive monthly salaries that are “even less than the entry-level salary of public school teachers” at P27,000 monthly.
This, the group said, despite 55 percent of the respondents having been working in their current schools for six to 20 years and longer.
The group pointed out that the starting salaries for teachers in 58 percent of the private schools are “even lower” than the minimum wage of workers in Metro Manila at P15,000 or below monthly.
High time
Geronimo pointed out that for the longest time, private school teachers have been enduring such an “abject situation” due to the excessive deregulation of the private school system and the “lack of protection and support” from the government.
“It is high time for the government to make pro-active steps to improve our conditions,” he added.
The survey further showed that the problem of low salaries of private school teachers “cuts across all types of school” based on size and levels offered.
“The government repeatedly cites that salaries in private schools are lower as small schools cannot afford to pay their teachers with decent salaries, but our survey shows otherwise as even large, very large and mega schools pay salary rates lower than the public schools,” Geronimo said.
He added that with a law that ensures minimum salary standards for private school teachers, the government can “identify and require capable schools to pay appropriately, and provide salary subsidies to teachers in private schools which cannot afford the same.”
Geronimo pointed out that the passing of a Magna Carta for Private School Teachers to safeguard the comprehensive rights of their sector and protect them from abuse and exploitation has been overdue.
“We call on the President and the Congress to prioritize legislations for the betterment of our welfare as these will surely redound to education quality,” Geronimo added.