Vice President Sara Duterte — CIO FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) will implement various policies that will increase the benefits and net pay of teachers nationwide, said Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday.
During her presentation of the 2024 Basic Education Report at Sofitel Hotel, Pasay City, Duterte revealed that DepEd is gearing itself to implement various policies for teachers’ take-home pay as part of its commitment to address issues on teachers’ salary.
“Sa ating mga mahal na guro at mga kawani, hindi po kami titigil sa paghahanap ng mga paraan at paglalatag ng mga polisiya upang tugunan ang mga isyu ukol sa net take-home pay ninyo,” said Duterte.
(To our dear teachers and staff, we will not stop finding ways and laying down policies to address your net take-home pay issues.)
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One of these policies is the “Teaching Overload Pay,” which Duterte said would ensure teachers are rightfully compensated for the hours they spent teaching beyond the 6-hour limit provided under the Magna Carta for teachers.
Apart from the overload pay, Duterte also announced that teachers will soon be compensated for working overtime.
“We also want to give Overtime Pay to our teachers. Historically, for non-teaching tasks performed outside their regular working hours, teachers are only compensated through service credits. In the next budget cycle, DepEd will be proposing a budget that will enable us to grant overtime pay to our teachers,” said Duterte.
A calamity fund will also be established to provide “immediate financial assistance to teachers and personnel in times of disaster,” not limited to calamities but also medical emergencies.
“We do recognize the burden that comes, not only with calamities, but those also brought by medical emergencies. Thus, we will also propose and fervently move for the amendment of an Administrative Order that will allow us to finally provide Health Insurance for our teachers and non-teaching personnel,” the Vice President said.
At the sidelines of the education report, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa explained that the said policies are being implemented to increase the teachers’ take-home pay while the possibility of a salary increase for teachers is still being studied.
READ: Long-term salary increase for teachers still being studied — VP Sara Duterte
“That’s why kahit hindi tayo magapag-pataas agad ng sahod — dahil alam niyo naman that would take an enabling law salary standardization — naghahanap tayo ng iba’t ibang paraan para ma-augment natin ‘yung net take home pay,” said Poa in a chance interview.
(That’s why even if we can’t raise wages right away — because you know that would take an enabling law salary standardization — we’re looking for different ways to augment the net take-home pay.)
Duterte, in her speech, said that the DepEd has already engaged with the World Bank to seek assistance in coming up with a study on teacher salary.
Poa explained that the study would serve as the DepEd’s basis for proposing a salary increase for teachers.
“We’re hoping na sa lalong madaling panahon mabigyan na tayo ng results (we’re hoping that as soon as possible we will be given results),” said Poa