Incoming Education Secretary Senator Sonny Angara announced on Wednesday his intention to review a proposal to raise the entry-level salary of public school teachers to P50,000. This initiative aims to improve the working conditions and financial benefits for educators.
Named by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to succeed Vice President Sara Duterte at the Department of Education (DepEd), Angara emphasized the importance of supporting teachers through better salaries and working conditions. “The salary increase of government employees is set by Congress. And we are 100% supportive of that and have been pushing for it, especially when I was part of the Senate Committee on Finance,” Angara said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB.
When asked about the feasibility of raising the entry-level salary for teachers to P50,000, Angara stated, “Let’s see and study it.” He mentioned that this would involve coordination with other agencies such as the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Angara believes that increasing teachers’ salaries is crucial for enhancing the quality of education. “We are one hundred percent in support of all these increases for teachers because we know that the quality of education is affected when the teachers are really inspired. At the same time, we also get to attract the best and the brightest,” he added.
Earlier this year, the Makabayan bloc lawmakers filed House Bill 9920, seeking a P50,000 entry-level salary for public school teachers. The bill aims to close the gap between teachers’ salaries and the cost of living and address the pay disparity created by the doubling of entry-level salaries for military and uniformed personnel.
In addition to salary increases, Angara aims to improve working conditions for teachers by reducing their non-teaching tasks. This initiative follows a recent directive by Duterte to relieve teachers of administrative duties. Duterte also announced the hiring of 5,000 more administrative personnel in 2024 and additional funds for school maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).
On another front, Angara expressed support for a proposal to ban the use of mobile phones and other gadgets inside classrooms to help students focus on their studies. “It’s better if a student is not distracted in the classroom,” he said. Senate basic education committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian had earlier filed Senate Bill 2706, proposing the Electronic Gadget-Free Schools Act to prohibit the use of electronic gadgets during class hours.
However, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) argued for strict regulation rather than an outright ban, noting that smartphones can be beneficial for research and accessing learning materials.
