DAVAO Association of Private Schools and Administrators (Daprisa) has urged the Davao City Council to help push for government subsidy on salaries of all private school teachers in the Philippines.
Daprisa President Dr. Judith Cabradilla Bacarro, during the privilege speech on Tuesday, November 21, at the City Council, called for the expansion of the coverage of the Educational Service Contracting (ESC) and Teachers Salary Subsidy (TSS).
“It is our position that the coverage should be expanded to include all levels from the K to 12 or from Kindergarten to Senior High School... It is our prayer that the amount of the monthly salary subsidy to be given to all private teachers will be at least one-half of the salary allocated to all public school teachers," Bacarro said.
She added that this is due to massive loss experienced by private institutions as their trained teachers leave to public schools for higher compensation.
“The loss in the part of the private schools is alarming, continuing, substantial, and painful due to the fact that these trained teachers have often been beneficiaries of the year-round short or long-term trainings and a number of formation programs," she said.
Bacarro added that every year one third of teachers leave the private schools even before the end of this contract.
"This data is a reflection that the best teachers-those with the best opportunities elsewhere-are leaving. This argument points to the necessity to raise teacher's salary in order to limit this exodus and to maintain quality of teachers," she said.
Bacarra said other countries like Japan and Hong Kong provide subsidy to support the private schools for greater flexibility.
In a separate interview, Bacarra said she was happy for the feedback of the Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte that the council will support their request.
Bacarra added that this request for subsidy for compensation of private teachers is a must for their main clients, the students.
"Naawa kami sa aming client who will be left by teachers who are transferring to public schools in the middle of the school year," she said.
Bacarra added that they have nothing against private school teachers transferring to other schools and that they just want to express their intention to sustain quality education in the private schools.
She added private school teachers deserve to receive something out of the taxes paid by parents to the government.
"All of us are clamoring for a subsidy for our private school teachers," Bacarra said.