By Jonathan Geronimo
Secretary-General
Alliance of Concerned Teachers Private Schools
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers Private Schools welcomes the Department of Education’s announcement of an annual salary subsidy increase for private junior high school teachers to P24,000 but it is a gravely insufficient measure that leaves thousands of education workers behind and fails to address the root causes of teachers’ exploitation in private schools.
We welcome this increase in the subsidy for junior high school teachers. However, let us be very clear: this subsidy only covers a fraction of private school teachers. Kinder, elementary, and senior high school teachers remain excluded, even though they face the same heavy workloads and inadequate compensation.
The small amount and chronic delays in releasing the subsidy further diminish its value.
Most junior high school teachers have not even received their subsidy for school year 2024-2025. A subsidy that is both delayed and meager does not provide dignity, nor does it address the real needs of our private school educators.
The average salary of a private school teacher in Metro Manila is only P17,500 per month, with salaries dropping even lower in provinces. Many private school teachers are forced to accept these substandard wages because the government has failed to create enough plantilla items and build sufficient public schools. This lack of opportunity in the public sector forces teachers to stay in private institutions, where they often face oppressive conditions and are denied the security and benefits enjoyed by their public counterparts.
The government must fulfill its responsibility to protect the rights and welfare of all teachers, not just a select few. By neglecting to expand public school positions and failing to regulate private school wages and benefits, the state is complicit in the continuing exploitation of private school teachers.
Piecemeal subsidies cannot address the deep-seated problems faced by private school teachers. We are calling for urgent, systemic reforms, including implementation of a nationwide P1,200 minimum wage for all Filipino workers, including teachers in both public and private sectors, as a concrete step toward a living wage.
Our private school teachers play a vital role in shaping the nation, yet they continue to endure poverty wages and insecure jobs.
We demand not just token relief, but genuine reforms that uplift the teaching profession. Enact a P1,200 minimum wage nationwide now! Teachers deserve dignity, security, and just compensation.