Following the second Basic Education Report (BER) presented by the Department of Education (DepEd), a group of education workers on Friday, Jan. 26, reiterated the urgent need to “significantly address” the shortages in the country’s basic education system.

“Unfortunately, the Secretary once again did not report its failures and shortcomings, instead focusing on relatively minor achievements in improving the education system,” the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said in a statement referring to Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.

ACT noted that regarding Basic Education Facilities, the DepEd must “ensure the immediate repair of the thousands of classrooms in need and prioritize the construction of new classrooms, particularly in areas where they are most needed.”

Citing last year’s BER, ACT noted that only “approximately 30 percent of classrooms were in good condition, while many others were damaged, awaiting repair, or slated for condemnation.”

For ACT, Duterte should be held “accountable for the delays and failures in achieving basic education facility targets” as reported by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Commission on Audit (COA) in 2022 and 2023.

ACT alleged that the omission of this update in the 2024 BER was “crucial as it hinders the identification of solutions and improvements in implementation.”

Education as a human right, public good, and public responsibility

Meanwhile, ACT emphasized that “free quality public education systems should be fully funded and led by a strong, valued, and respected teaching profession, and should be the utmost priority to ensure the right to education.”

This year, ACT noted that the current administration and the DepEd have “regrettably neglected our teachers and education workers’ professional and basic rights.”

ACT said that foremost among these concerns is the government's “failure to address the economic plight of our teachers by providing substantial salary increase commensurate with a humane and livable wage.”

The group lamented the “widening gap” between rising costs and stagnant incomes underscore the need for a comprehensive and balanced approach to economic policies that should not undermine the right of workers and employees for a just and equitable wage.

“Without urgent and willful interventions, the repercussions on the welfare of the workforce and the broader economy could be severe and enduring,” ACT said.

Given this, the group reiterated its call for an “immediate need” for equitable wages and salary increases that align with the rising costs of living.

In particular, ACT said that teachers, along with all workers from both public and private sectors, call for the legislation of a national minimum living wage of P33,000.

Specifically for the education sector, teachers assert their demand for an entry-level pay of P50,000, as “reasonable compensation for their overworked, underpaid, and undersupported conditions.”

ACT also stressed that the payment of teaching overload is “long overdue” and the teachers and rank-in-file employees must be “properly compensated for the excess services” they rendered since last year.

“It should be given as recognition of the invaluable contribution of our educators amid struggling in a continuously deepening education crisis,” ACT said. “Aside from the promised issuance of the guidelines, the DepEd should ensure that the extra work rendered over the past years will be compensated,” the group added.

Given this, ACT stressed the need to significantly address education shortages, improve access to quality education, and ensure efficient and effective implementation of programs and projects.

It also pushed for the prioritization of the economic and professional welfare of teachers and education workers.

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