October lessons

OCTOBER should have been a celebratory month for teachers as nations annually commemorate the World Teachers Day every Oct. 5. Friday last week marked the anniversary of the concurrence of states, including the Philippines, to the Recommendations Concerning the Status of Teachers submitted by the International Labor Organization to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization more than five decades ago in 1966. In the same year, the Philippines legislated the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, making it a state policy to uphold and protect the economic, professional and social well-being of teachers for the objective of quality education, and in recognition of the mentors’ contribution in nation-building.

The status of Filipino teachers has not substantially improved, however, despite these instruments. In fact, their condition further deteriorated in the past two years. Ironic, when the current dispensation’s rise to power was bolstered by promises made to teachers and the education sector.

Teachers have not seen the fulfillment of the campaign promise of substantial salary increase. The idea is even repeatedly countered by top officials of the administration. What teachers experience, instead, is the nonstop erosion of salaries due to unbridled price increases. Never in our history have we been asked to eat bukbok rice nor have we seen vegetable prices spiking by three to fivefold, and galunggong being imported.

We have not seen the realization of the promise to scrap the K12 program which has worsened the shortages on number of teachers, classrooms, facilities, and have compounded teachers’ workload. Up to now, teachers are made to perform non-teaching duties due to lack of education support personnel. What teachers experience, instead, is the oppressive push to deliver outstandingly on all the tasks, including those beyond their job description.

Never in our history have we seen as well a hefty P60-billion slash on education budget while P55 billion is discovered to be allotted for pork barrel of administration allies.

What we have seen, instead, is a bloody anti-drug campaign that creeps inside our schools, a systematic move to revise history and bring back to power dictators, tyrants and corrupt officials who have already been repudiated by the people, tyrannical moves to silence and quash all dissent, and a foul-mouthed President who is not fit to be seen and heard by children and, according to his own men, should not be taken seriously because he jokes most of the time.