Thousands of public school teachers across the country will stage a nationwide sit-down strike on November 28, halting regular classes to hold discussions with students on accountability, justice, and long-standing issues in the education sector.

Leaders of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, in a press conference on Thursday, November 20, announced that the coordinated “day of resistance” will include school-level protests and alternative actions organized by regional formations and campus chapters nationwide.

“On November 28, thousands of us will sit—not to rest, but to resist,” said ACT Philippines Chairperson Ruby Bernardo.

As educators, she said it is the fundamental duty of teachers to “enlighten the youth and defend the future of education and the nation.” “We will hold classroom discussions to expose the rotten system and educate students about accountability, justice, and genuine change,” she added.

Bernardo said the sit-down strike aims to empower students by educating them about “accountability, justice, and genuine change.”

ACT said participating teachers will refrain from conducting regular lessons and will instead lead classroom discussions on systemic problems they say have contributed to the country’s worsening education crisis. Other schools are expected to stage their own forms of protest in solidarity.

“There is no more fitting moment for teachers and the education sector to stand up than now,” Bernardo said.

Nearly three years into the Marcos-Duterte administration, she argued that it has “become clear that the public’s welfare is not their priority,” saying “both are driven by greed for power and public funds.”

“Both must be held to account and removed, along with all those complicit in systematic and widespread corruption,” she added.

The group said the recent series of disasters has exposed what they described as government negligence and deep-seated corruption, citing massive losses in lives, livelihoods, and public resources.

ACT officials said that despite billions of pesos allocated to various government projects, public school teachers and students continue to face severe shortages in classrooms, learning materials, and basic facilities.

“While top officials, legislators, and contractors ‘swim in billions,’ schools and communities remain submerged in floods, and teachers and students continue to drown in an ever-worsening education crisis marked by severe shortages,” ACT said.

The group also criticized the Marcos-Duterte administration for failing to deliver substantial salary hikes for teachers and for allegedly underfunding the education sector.

ACT said the strike is part of a broader national push to “end the plunder of public funds” and redirect government resources toward essential public services, including education.

Several government employee organizations and public sector unions have expressed support for the teachers, saying they share the call to end corruption and improve funding for basic social services.