Opening of classes orderly but issues remain, teachers' group says

This year's opening of classes in the country's public schools was "orderly" but problems continued to hound several of them, a teacher's group has observed.

In a phone interview on Balitanghali, Benjo Basas, chairman of the Teachers Dignity Coalition, said there was still a lack of classrooms, learning facilities, textbooks, and teachers.

"Yes of course kasi kumpara doon sa mga nakalipas 'no, but 'yung mga perennial problem like 'yung binabahang mga eskwelahan, 'yung kulang pa rin ang mga classrooms well prevalent 'yan sa mga highly-urbanized areas," Basas said.

"Meron pa din naman 'yung kulang pa rin naman 'yung kagamitan sa schools, 'yung facilities at 'yung mga learning materials na kailangan ng mga bata. Kulang pa rin naman 'yung bilang ng ating mga guro na dapat magturo," he added.

"But generally sa tingin namin orderly pa rin at least. We appreciate naman 'yung effort ng government para i-close po 'yung gaps na aming binabanggit. Still, we really have to work pa rin," Basas said.

More than 27 million students from kindergarten to Grade 12 went back to public and private schools for the resumption of classes. Education Secretary Leonor Briones had deemed it as "generally peaceful and successful."

Briones said the department had been addressing school woes especially the classroom shortage.

98 percent ready?

Meanwhile, when asked for comment about the pronouncement of the Department of Education that they are 98 percent prepared for the resumption of classes, Basas seemed to oppose it.

"Siguro 98 percent would be too much parang hindi naman po siguro saka kapag tiningnan natin hindi naman 'yung facilities lang 'yung kahandaan na titingnan," he pointed out.

"We may agree na medyo talaga namang tumaas 'yung readiness ng paaralan pero hindi yata tama na umabot ito sa 98 percent," Basas added.

Basas also urged the government to address the problems voiced by teachers such as insufficient salary and benefits.

"Pinapaalalahanan natin 'yung Department of Education na sana paghandaan din 'yung mga guro, wala kaming halos bakasyon simula nung nagsara nung unang linggo ng Abril hanggang ngayon, dere-derecho 'yan sa dami ng trabaho,"

"Suklian naman sana ng pamahalaan. In fact 'yung binigay sa amin na chalk or 'yung tinatawag nating teaching aid allowance na P3,500 napakaliit niyan. Pag tiningnan natin 'yung kailangan gugulin, gastusin ng guro sa isang araw, napakalaki talaga nito. Kulang na kulang 'yung binibigay na ayuda kaya dapat ibigay 'yung tamang sweldo at benepisyo," Basas added.

"Hindi po namin nakikita na commensurate 'yung ibinibigay ng gobyerno at 'yun po ang hinihingi namin and even our Constitution po sinasabi na dapat ibigay 'yung hinihingi ng ating mga guro," Basas said.

Teachers have been asking for a salary increase after Congress approved a 100-percent increase in the base pay of security personnel in government that took effect this year.

Earlier in May, President Rodrigo Duterte said doubling the salaries of some 880,000 public school teachers may not be possible even as he promised to increase their pay during his term.

"Ang inyo, kayo ang isunod ko pero hindi naman masyado doblado. Hindi talaga kaya. I'm not blaming anybody but simply there are too many Filipinos. Ang resources natin wala," Duterte said. —Anna Felicia Bajo/NB, GMA News