Teaching to struggle:
Oppressed situation of teachers

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

The country's teachers have long been oppressed. And their oppression is intensifying with the Estrada regime's faithful compliance with the IMF-World Bank's dictates to systematically reduce the budget for social services, including education. The regime is more interested in squandering money on its destructive war against the people rather than improving the teachers' lot.

Teachers in the country receive very low salaries. Despite the National Statistics Office's declaration that the monthly poverty threshold is P13,260, a teacher's gross basic salary amounts to only P9,464.50. In the National Capital Region, private school teachers' monthly salaries amount to only P6,000 on the average and their take home pay amounts to only P4,967.02. In some other regions, teachers take home only P2,200 monthly as in the case of Our Lady of Purity Academy in Negros Occidental.

Worse, the regime exacts so many deductions from teachers' meager salaries. As a Senate Committee on Education, Culture and Sports survey of teachers reveals, 96% of respondents receive only half of their monthly salaries due to deductions; and 25,584 say their salaries are reduced by more than 50%.

Because their salaries can hardly meet their families' daily needs, teachers are compelled to borrow from private lenders. In 1999, unpaid debts incurred by 300,000 public school teachers amounted to P10 billion. These private lenders, numbering 112, are accredited by the DECS no less and impose a 36-108% interest. The 10 leading private lenders earned a total of P5.5 billion or 74% of the P7.5 billion deducted from teachers' salaries in 1998.

The DECS connives with these loan sharks to take advantage of the teachers' desperation. It receives a 2% share of teachers' debt payments, and collects this through salary deductions, saying that this is supposed to be a service fee paid by the private lenders to DECS. The DECS claims that half of these service fees is meant to augment the salaries of clerks who collect the fees. The remaining amount allegedly goes to the Provident Fund which is supposedly intended for teachers' assistance programs. The status of this fund is unclear.

There are also cases where salary deductions for debt payments continue even if the teachers have already paid off their debts, all because of chaotic record-keeping.

Instead of raising teachers' salaries to prevent them from ending up buried neck-deep in debt, the DECS and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) even plan to profit from the teachers' privation by "improving" the GSIS's credit system.

Along with the budget for other social services, the regime has been cutting that for education. In spite of the ever pressing need for more teachers, the regime plans to dismiss even more public school teachers.

When teachers wage struggles for just salaries and benefits, the regime issues orders that force them to choose between their struggle and their job security. For instance, to block their struggle for a P3,000-across the board salary increase, the regime issued an order, through the Professional Regulation Commission and Civil Service Commission, stating that teachers who have not yet passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers would be laid off.

The PRC has also issued a stern warning that violators of the policy, school owners and teachers alike, shall be penalized with six months to five years in prison and pay P5,000 to P20,000 in fines.

On May 10, DECS Sec. Andrew Gonzales announced that teachers will be given only P3,000 as clothing/uniform allowance despite the fact that the General Appropriations Act provides P4,000 for this. The DECS claimed that release of the P1,000-balance is subject to the availability of funds.

Health services and benefits for the overworked teachers are also far from sufficient. Teachers are entitled to only P37.50 monthly from Medicare. Almost 20% of public school teachers do not have homes of their own. The regime's housing program merely profits from them.

Neither are the teachers' working conditions desirable. Respondents to a poll of teachers say that they teach in classrooms that have no ceilings (25%), no proper lighting (27%), poor ventilation (27%), no electricity (55%), no running water (84%) and no toilets (62%).

Owing to the lack of teachers, they are forced to handle very large classes (up to 80 students). Due to the insufficient number of classrooms, many teachers teach in the shade of trees, in gyms, in parking lots, along corridors and other places not conducive to teaching and learning. Based on the ideal ratio of one teacher to 45 students, the DECS would need 116,233 new teachers. The DECS claims, however, that it could hire only 5,890 this year, 605 of whom would be assigned to office work.

The regime further obliges teachers to take on tasks other than teaching without due compensation. They are forced to count and guard ballots during elections and are mobilized by the reactionary government to take censuses.

The DECS is reeking with corruption. Funds for teachers and students are being spent by high-ranking officials for personal luxuries. In September, for instance, Secretary Gonzales' malversation of P24 million to purchase 24 luxury vehicles was exposed.

In the first week of October, it was reported that seven high-ranking officials of the DECS in Camarines Norte were set to undergo investigation for selling teaching appointments. Some applicants for teaching jobs were asked to pay in order to get hired or to receive regular appointments.

Teachers are resisting the regime's neglect of their welfare and of the country's entire educational system. In the past year, teachers militantly struggled for a P3,000 across the board salary increase, amelioration allowance and other benefits. The Estrada regime was compelled to grant a 10% hike. The teachers achieved a partial victory; but because the raise was insufficient, their struggle for just salaries and benefits continues. On August 18, seven major organizations of public school teachers demanded a P2000-increase in their take home pay.

It is correct for teachers to continue building up their unity and intensify their struggle for their rights. They must also strengthen their solidarity with other sectors to oust the US-Estrada regime and resist the rotten ruling system.

October 2000
English Edition

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	Teaching to struggle: Oppressed situation of teachers
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