Makati City Mayor and senatorial bet Abby Binay urged the national government to invest more on the professional development of teachers through programs that will enhance their education and training.
“Siguraduhin nating magaling magturo ang ating mga guro at kaya nilang sumabay sa mabilis na pagbabagong dala ng teknolohiya. Hindi pwedeng mapag-iwanan sila. Pati ang kanilang mga estudyante ay mapag-iiwanan din (Let's ensure that our teachers are updated in their teaching skills and that they can keep up with the ever-changing technological landscape. They cannot be left behind because once they are, even their students will also be affected)," Binay said, adding that like lawyers who are required to pursue continuing legal education, teachers should continuously hone their knowledge and skills to stay abreast of developments in their field.
She warned that by doing otherwise, investments in modernizing school facilities would have little impact on the current state of education in the country.
“Ultimately, the quality of education rests on the effectiveness and competence of our teachers. They should be empowered to be excellent educators capable of adapting to technological advancements that are rapidly transforming traditional ways of teaching," Binay said.
However, she noted that the government should subsidize the costs so as not to add burden to the teachers.
“Dapat mag-invest tayo sa professional development ng mga guro at bigyan sila ng sapat na oportunidad para maging mas mahusay na educators (We should invest on the teachers' professional development and provide them with enough opportunities to become even better educators)," Binay said.
Picking up from her experience as Makati's local chief executive, Binay said she wants to implement on a national level the programs aimed at strengthening the teaching force introduced in Makati City. These include continued prioritization of the basics and allocating an annual budget for providing teachers with the tools and training that they need.
Under Project TEACH (Teacher Effectiveness and Competence Honing), the city government, through its Special Education Fund, has subsidized executive courses for public school teachers with annual allocations ranging from P7 million to P15 million.
Starting this year, the city is implementing an Executive Class Diploma program in partnership with St. Paul College of Makati.
Other benefits enjoyed by public school teachers in Makati include free access to health services under the Yellow Card program, such as medical checkups, laboratory services, hospitalization, and maintenance medicine, among others.
Teachers also enjoy additional monetary benefits that include a P3,000-monthly incentive, P6,000 year-end and fringe benefit, monthly allowances of P2,500 for SPED teachers, P3,000 for ALS, and P4,500 for ASATIDZ teachers, and a P5,000-chalk allowance for preschool teachers every school year.