Friday, August 03, 2007 Talk back: Miserable plight of teachers By Illo V. Cardosa Malabuyoc, Cebu
THE cartoon-strip on page A16 of Sun.Star Cebu (June 21, 2007), portrayed the life of a teacher.
Although it was exaggerated, the artist could not be blamed because he was depicting the real situation of a teacher.
I am a retired public school teacher.
I still remember the hardships I encountered in my stint in the barangay schools.
On school days, teachers must brave all kinds of weather to fulfill their mandated mission to educate the children.
Today, teachers are still below the living standard.
Many are victims of usurious money lenders and loan sharks.
Why is this happening?
Because their salaries could not meet the rising cost of prime commodities.
They can no longer send their children to higher institutions of learning because of rising school fees.
And as teachers retire from the service, they receive only a measly sum as pension, which is not enough for food, medicines and vitamins to sustain them in their waning years.
May government, through the Department of Education, look into the miserable plight of teachers.
