CEAP wants gov’t to fund salaries of private school teachers

By: Mart D. Sambalud, @martsambaludINQ

Inquirer Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—A legal counsel of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) is
proposing that government should also fund the salaries of licensed private school teachers to avoid the mass
exodus of private school teachers to teach in public schools because of higher salary.

“While it is understandable to incentivize teaching in the public schools, the government should not also neglect
the welfare of the teachers in the private schools,” CEAP legal counsel Joseph Noel Estrada told the Inquirer in
an interview.

Estrada said the licensed teachers in public or private schools were performing a “public function” that is to
deliver education for the Filipino youth.

“There should be no dichotomy in the plight of teachers that necessitates government support simply because
some are in the public schools and some are in the private sector,” he stressed.

Salary gap

An entry level salary of a public school teacher is P19,000 a month but this may total to P23, 000 if all other
allowances and benefits are included. While a private school teacher is receiving only P13, 000, which is way
below compared to a public school teacher is receiving.

The P13, 000 salary of private school teacher, according to Estrada, represents an average pay across regions.
He reasoned out that salary rates in the private schools are “regionalized” unlike the salaries in the public schools
are the same across all regions in the country.

The obvious wide disparity of salaries between the public school and private school systems makes the former
more attractive in terms of compensation and other benefits. Apart from low pay, private school teachers also
cited “security of tenure” as one of the reasons they want to teach in public schools.

Jessie Cabanayan, a private school teacher in a sectarian school, said that teaching in public schools are better
in private schools because it offers a stable government position.

“Both the higher salary and tenure in the teaching position are the reasons why I want to teach in public schools,”
he said. “Over these issues, teaching in DepEd is only the viable option that I have.”

Cabanayan will be among the thousands of teacher applicants across the country to express intent in teaching
in public schools. This month, public school principals across the country will start receiving teacher applicants,
as part of the hiring process of the Department of Education (DepEd.)

CEAP’s proposal

To address the issue of low pay, Ceap is proposing a legislation to Congress, seeking the inclusion of salaries of
licensed teachers in the private schools in the annual budget of DepE, subject to the same position classification
and compensation scheme imposed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Estrada said that Ceap’s proposal was communicated to Congresswoman Evelina G. Escudero, the incumbent
chair of the House Committee on Basic Education, as early as October last year. Ceap has yet to receive a response
coming from the lawmaker’s office.
Excluded, however, in the proposed government subsidy, are school principals and teachers occupying
administrative positions in the private schools.

Also, he added that further restrictions on the teachers’ required status of employment (minimum teaching
hours) and subject content areas (core curriculum by DepEd); and qualifications of private schools who may
participate in the government program, may be put in place through its implementing rules and regulations
(IRR).

It is therefore our humble but ardent proposal to have salaries of licensed teachers in the
private basic education institutions included in the DepEd annual budget, subject to the
same position classification and compensation scheme by the DBM. Principals and teachers
occupying administrative positions in the private schools are excluded from the proposed
government subsidy. Further restrictions on the teachers’ required status of employment
(minimum teaching hours) and subject content areas (core curriculum by DepEd); and
qualifications of private schools who may participate in the government program, may be
put in place through its implementing rules and regulations.

It is therefore our humble but ardent proposal to have salaries of licensed teachers in the private basic
education institutions included in the DepEd annual budget, subject to the same position classification
and compensation scheme by the DBM.

Q1. For 2018, what are the Top 3 priority programs (basic education and higher
education) do you think that CEAP will undertake for private education sector? Why and
how these program will be implemented?
1. CEAP will continue to push for quality and accessible education through the complementary role of private education by
participating in various fora and platforms;
2. Revision of the Manual of Regulations for Private Schools in Basic education to make it more inclusive, less regulatory and
more developmental, and update consistent with recent laws such as the Data Privacy Act and the K to 12 Act; and
3. Participate in the deliberation of the Phil. Qualifications Framewok Bill in the Senate to address quality education and job
matching of education qualifications of graduates.

Q2. From a legal standpoint, are you supportive of pushing through the creation of Bureau
of Private Education? Why and why not?
I personally advocate for reasonable regulation and compelementarity of private basic education with public schools. The
creation of a Bureau solely for Private Education may both be a boon or bane for private education. On one hand, a creation of a
bureau for private education would make the government address the distinct policy environment of the private education sector,
but at the same time there is a risk of over-regulation of the State through this bureau.

Q3. What are the tough challenges (in terms of policies) that CEAP had faced in 2017?
How these challenges were addressed?
There are many, here’s a list of some:

1. Proposed Implementation of Mandatory Drug Testing in the private schools;- CEAP insisted on the prnciples under the
Dangerous Drugs Act and case law which provide that drug testing shall be random; suspicionless, and not to be used for
criminal prosecution.
2. Moratorium on Field Trips;- this has been lifted recently as provided under DepEd Order 47, s. 2017.
3. K to 12 Implementation (Entrant Age in Kinder, Job Immersion Programs, and SHS Curriculum design) -Still awaiting word
from DepEd on these issues raised especially the entrant age for Kinder.

Q4. As CEAP legal counsel, what are the gains and highlights so far that you have
achieved in pushing the interests of the private education sector across the country?
The enactment of RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education which now includes State funding of private
higher education through the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is the highlight of the achievements not only of private education
but the entire education sector as well. (Pls check my article at the Manila Times dated Jan 1, 2018) Here’s the
link http://www.manilatimes.net/2017-another-great-year-education-policy/371561/

Q5. There’s this radical idea that the state should “partly” fund private school teachers’
salary. Are you supportive of this? Is this achievable by way of a legal mechanism? If not,
what do you think is the best way to make the salaries of those in the private sectors
competitive?
Please see attached copy of my letter to Cong. Escudero, the current chair of the House Committee on Basic Ed. It sums up my
answer to this question. You may quote some statements in the letter BUT please dont publish the letter itself.