Seriously concerned over the continued migration of private school teachers to public education, members of the House of Representatives are eyeing the expansion of the teachers’ salary subsidy (TSS) to cover majority if not all private teaching personnel.

In a recent House Committee on Education meeting, lawmakers said the mass resignation of many private school teachers could adversely affect the basic and secondary education program in the country.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Ria Vergara, committee vice chairperson, raised the precarious condition of many private schools affected by the migration of their teaching personnel.

Vergara said there is now an imbalance between private and public education that could also affect the student population in the former and further result in the closure of many schools.

“In my district, a number of private schools have shut down. I hope we can have another law that would benefit private schools with certain benefits that government gives public school teachers,” she said.

Sorsogon Rep. Evelina Escudero noted that many private school students have now abandoned their school in favor of public education due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the basic education must launch immediately a study that would determine ways of help private school teachers augment their income and stop the exodus.

Baguio City Rep. Mark Go agreed that public school teachers and personnel indeed get better benefits and pay compared to their private counterparts. “Kaya dapat mas mataas at maganda ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa public schools (Therefore, we must expect better quality of education from public schools),” said Go.

The expansion of the TSS to cover not only private school teachers assigned to junior high school.

Undersecretary Jesus Mateo of the Department of Education disclosed that there are now 51,626 TSS recipients under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education.

Lawyer Noel Estrada of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) welcomed plans of lawmakers to push for subsidy for private school teachers by expanding the scope of TSS. “There is urgency in addressing this problem because of the migration,” said Estrada.

He lamented that private schools have become mere training ground for teachers who swiftly go to the State-run schools as soon as they have acquired experience.