THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
The House of Representatives made a very important move during the recent celebration of World Teachers’ Day last week. Before a large audience of educators at the Araneta Coliseum, the Lower House pledged that it “will pay more attention” to the plight of our teachers, mentioning, in particular, their concerns “in terms of salaries and benefits, as well as additional classrooms and equipment.”
They did not specify how much the possible increase in teachers’ salaries Congress might be looking at, nor when that possible increase could be coming. Despite that, their commitment may have been sufficient for now. All our teachers need to hear is that the government recognizes the need to help them cope with the ever-rising standard of living.
Based on available data, the current entry-level salary of our public school teachers today stands at ₱27,000 per month, or less than $500. Compare that with the entry-level salary of the highest-paid teachers in the world – the teachers of Luxembourg. Their annual salary stands at $71,000 at the start of their career.
The highest-paid teachers in the ASEAN region are the teachers of Singapore. There, the average salary of teachers ranges from SGD50,000 to SGD100,000 per year.
In the ASEAN region, the next two countries with the highest teacher salaries are Malaysia and Thailand.
Some might say that those two countries – Luxembourg and Singapore – are among the richest in the world. As such, they can afford to pay their teachers the salary that only top corporate executives in the Philippines are paid. They have a point. Many articles indicate that the economic wealth of a country is the key factor in determining how much teachers are paid.
Other factors such as government policies and the demand for teachers can significantly influence the pay scale.
There is another view. It appears a country’s economic wealth may not always be key in determining the pay of teachers.
A study by the Center for Global Development showed that there are “less affluent” countries that could be paying their teachers more. That is if their salary is computed based on the per capita gross domestic product of their country.
For example, using that formula, the teachers of countries like Ethiopia, Burundi, and Burkina Faso would have relatively well-paid teachers. These countries seem to have decided that a country’s relative poverty should not be an excuse not to properly reward the very people who prepare their children for the task of creating more economic wealth for their nation.
We believe Congress has seen this angle and has appreciated the model of less affluent nations who are paying their teachers well. We admire them for giving our teachers hope without making empty promises.
It is the legislature that sets and standardizes the salaries of teachers in our country. We believe that they will use that legislative power to help our teachers be better paid.
Local governments do support education – but only within the limitations set by law and by the resources that they have. Under the law, a one percent surcharge on real property taxes collected by LGUs goes to the Special Education Fund (SEF). This fund does not support teachers’ pay. The SEF can only be used for the operation and maintenance of public schools, for the construction and repair of school buildings and facilities, for the purchase of equipment, books, and periodicals, as well as for educational research and sports development.
We believe that our teachers sacrifice beyond their limits to contend with the challenges of meager pay, and of having to make ends meet even as they fulfill a vital role for our nation.
Ironically, those who gave many the foundation for their success are also the least rewarded – financially – in our country.
Once again, we join the rest of the world in paying tribute to our teachers on the celebration of World Teachers’ Day. We pray for the day when our tribute to them will not stop at lip service.
We hope we will someday be able to aptly reward them for providing us with the foundation of our individual and collective success.
(The author is the mayor of Antipolo City, former Rizal governor, DENR assistant secretary and LLDA general manager. Email: [email protected])