SEPTEMBER is National Teachers Month. It highlights the value of teachers in Philippine society.
This observance was formalized by Proclamation No. 242 signed in Aug. 24, 2011 by then President Benigno Aquino III. According to the proclamation, the occasion can be used to celebrate the unique role and service that teachers play in guiding families, strengthening communities and building the nation.
Our teachers are instrumental in molding citizens who are part of nation-building. But they continue to endure the dismal conditions of shortages in school facilities, meager benefits, hardships and sacrifices for the well-being of the youth. They deserve worthy compensation, not just verbal accolades, for their noble profession.
The government should guarantee them adequate support through the expansion of benefits and incentives, and the strengthening of professional development programs for teachers.
While a sincere appreciation of their work by sending our personal thanks would inspire them and uplift their morale, we should also pursue the changes we eagerly want for our teachers, especially through improved benefits and other privileges. Whatever happened to the proposed Senate bill (Integrated Magna Carta of Teachers and Non-Teaching Personnel) which seeks to strengthen and amend certain provisions of Republic Act 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers?
With a number of provisions in the existing magna carta still unimplemented or under-implemented, there is a demand not only to revisit the vintage law but also to actualize the supposed benefits that teachers must have been enjoying for decades since it was enacted. The proposed integrated magna carta seeks to attract more teachers and non-teaching personnel of competent and efficient skills by providing, among others, an annual salary increase to mitigate the effects of inflation, security payment of their salaries on a monthly basis regardless of semestral or summer vacations, and gratuity benefit for those who choose to retire before reaching the compulsory age of 60 and have rendered at least two years of service.
The proposed measure further grants teachers and employees’ organizations the “right to self-organization and to collective bargaining, whether independent or federated, and the right to negotiate directly with school owners and administrators.”
We owe much of our achievements to the women and men whose perseverance, commitment and selfless dedication benefit not only our students but also society as a whole. Thus we should never take for granted the difference our mentors create in our lives. As we celebrate National Teachers Month, we laud the dedication of those in the teaching profession and push for measures that would provide greater benefits for teachers.
