De Lima seeks to replace the outdated Magna Carta for public school teachers with an updated and improved version

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima tabled a measure to promote, protect and enforce the rights of public teachers by instituting a revised Magna Carta for public teachers that can better meet their current needs.

De Lima, chairman of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, introduced Senate Bill (SB) No. 2497 to repeal the former Republic Act (RA) for this purpose. n° 4670, or the “Magna Carta for Public School”. Teachers.”

“Teaching is a noble but thankless profession. The need to preserve the integrity of our educational institutions coincides with the need to ensure the protection of our teachers. This arguably begins with the review and revision of a decades-old law that has not adequately responded to changing times,” she said.

Although it may appear on paper that Filipino teachers receive adequate support from the state in terms of financial resources, support services and infrastructure, De Lima noted a worsening “education crisis in the Philippines,” as observers pointed out earlier.

Several factors have already hinted at this worrying trend in the Philippine education system, including a 2019 study finding that Filipino students lagged behind other countries in the international math and science assessment for 4th graders. year.

A key insight from said study implied that those tested were mostly from public schools, also noting that the crisis is further compounded by the Philippines’ failure to invest in top-notch learning.

“This is exemplified by the lack of computers and other tools in public schools despite being necessitated by the digital age, and also by a lack of teachers in public schools,” said From Lima.

De Lima pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened the education situation, with the Philippines becoming the last country in the world to reopen schools for in-person classes since the health crisis began in March 2020.

“Teachers have not been spared this ordeal as insufficient government support has forced them to use their own resources for school-related expenses, especially for distance learning needs like laptops, phones, printers and internet connection,” she said.

“With an education system that is ‘flawed to begin with, a haphazardly implemented remote learning setup’ has resulted in overworked and underpaid teachers, on their own, to fend for themselves and fend for themselves through struggles,” she added.

De Lima further lamented how teachers living in remote areas are forced to travel for at least an hour a day for better internet signal, as they face heavy workload, inaccessible internet, the scarcity of gadgets and increasing paperwork as part of their eternal struggle which has been compounded by the pandemic.

Under SB Proposal No. 2497, De Lima said teachers’ salaries should compare favorably with those paid in other professions requiring equivalent or similar qualifications and training capabilities and be properly graded so as to recognize the fact that some positions require higher qualifications and greater responsibility than others.

The salary scales for teachers, for their part, must “provide for a gradual progression from a minimum salary to a maximum salary by means of regular increases, granted automatically after three (3) years”.

If enacted, the measure will ensure that “no teacher [will] be required to pay out of their personal finances for materials, facilities, services or any other item or activity necessary and related to the performance of their duties. »

In tabling the said measure, Senator de Bicol underscored the need for people to recognize that “it is only when we empower our teachers that we will strengthen our education system.”

Earlier, De Lima also stressed the importance of solving the problems of our education system for the betterment of the future of our country.

“The pagpapahalaga in edukasyon is pangangalaga in kinabukasan ing ating bayan.

“Democracies are only as strong as their constituents. If we fail to properly educate our children, they will fall prey to the machinations of abusive politicians and foreign interests, and all the freedoms we fought for and we we have achieved as a democratic Filipino nation will go to extinction,” she said.