Alliance of Concerned Teachers eyes sit-down strike by end of November

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines on Thursday announced its plan to hold a sit-down strike by the end of November, coinciding with the anti-corruption protests on November 30.

ACT made the announcement after the Philippine Statistics Authority released the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), which found that nearly one in four Filipinos aged 10 and above remains unable to perform basic literacy-related tasks.

The finding indicated that 24.8 million Filipinos remain functionally illiterate, a figure the group described as a “damning indictment of decades of underfunding and systemic failure.”

The group said the action aims to call out the government’s misplaced spending priorities and demand accountability for alleged corruption in public funds.

“These staggering numbers represent not just statistics, but millions of Filipinos denied their fundamental right to quality education," ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said in a statement.

"This is the bitter harvest of chronic underfunding, commercialization of education, and the government’s failure to prioritize the welfare of learners and teachers,” she added

Bernardo said that despite teachers’ best efforts, the education crisis continues to deepen as classrooms remain overcrowded, schools deteriorate, and educators face low pay and excessive workloads.

“No matter how much teachers give their all, functional illiteracy will only worsen if education continues to be starved of funds while billions are funneled into corruption-ridden projects,” Bernardo said.

ACT linked the high illiteracy rate to worsening poverty and economic hardship, which forces many students to drop out of school to help support their families.

The group said the persistent shortage of teachers, classrooms, and basic learning materials compounds the problem.

Bernardo said that the situation cannot be blamed on teachers or students alone, but on a “systemic failure” that requires structural reform and stronger state support.

“What we are facing is a systemic failure that demands systemic solutions — a substantial increase in the education budget, conducive and climate-resilient classrooms, smaller class sizes, sufficient and quality learning materials, decent and livable salaries for teachers and education workers, and concrete measures to address poverty that keeps millions of children out of school,” Bernardo said.

Bernardo said meaningful reform in the education system cannot be achieved without addressing corruption and inequity in government spending.

“Kung gusto talaga nating masugpo ang krisis sa edukasyon, dapat maglaan ng sapat na pondo para tugunan ang mga kakulangan, iangat sa disente at nakabubuhay na antas ang sweldo ng mga guro at kawani, ayusin ang kurikulum at siguruhing magsisilbi ito sa tunay na pangangailangan ng bansa, panagutin ang lahat ng sangkot sa korapsyon mula sa pinakamatataas na opisyal, ibalik ang pera ng taumbayan, at baguhin ang sistemang matagal nang dahilan ng pagpapabaya sa edukasyon,” she said.

(If we truly want to end the education crisis, the government must allocate sufficient funds to address shortages, raise teachers’ and personnel’s salaries to decent and livable levels, fix the curriculum to ensure it serves the country’s real needs, hold accountable all those involved in corruption — including top officials — return the people’s money, and change the very system that has long caused neglect in education and the public.) –NB, GMA Integrated News