Public school teachers will start getting paid for teaching overload and for their overtime work starting this school year, President Marcos announced during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“At ngayong school year na ito, makakatanggap na kayo ng kabayaran para sa inyong teaching overload at para sa inyong overtime (And this school year, you will finally receive payment for teaching overload and for your overtime),” Marcos said in his fourth SONA on Monday, July 28.

The President also assured them that their performance will not be measured solely by the number of students they pass, but by how well they nurture, guide, and inspire learners to aim higher in life.

“Asahan po ninyo na hindi gagawing sukatan ng galing o ng performance ninyo ang dami lamang ng estudyanteng inyong pinapasa. Kundi, ang dami ng mag-aaral na inyong pinapahusay at pinapataas ang ambisyon sa buhay (Rest assured that your competence or performance will not be measured solely by the number of students you pass, but by the number of students you help improve and inspire to aim higher in life)," Marcos said.

“Hindi tayo tumitigil maghanap ng mga paraan upang pagaanin kahit paano ang inyong pasanin sa araw-araw (We will not stop looking for ways to somehow ease your daily burdens)," he further assured them.

Marcos highlighted his administration’s efforts to uplift the teaching profession, noting the creation of 60,000 additional teaching positions and the streamlining of administrative requirements to allow teachers to focus more on instruction.

He said that nearly 100 non-teaching documents previously required of educators have been removed to ease their workload.

He also told them that the government will digitize the remaining paperwork that teachers still need to process, so they can do it online and directly from their new laptops.