Taguig building lounges for its ‘self-sacrificing’ public school teachers

DE-STRESSING AREA The city’s first teachers’ lounge has an entertainment area, conference room and pantry. —PHOTO COURTESY OF TAGUIG PIO

Amid ongoing calls from teachers for the national government to raise their salaries, the Taguig City government has been building them lounges “in a bid to put a premium on education, specifically with services for the development and wellbeing of students and teachers.”

Last week, Mayor Lino Cayetano inaugurated the first teachers’ lounge at EM’s Signal Village Elementary School in Central Signal equipped with an entertainment area, pantry and conference room.

According to Cayetano, the city government will build similar facilities in each of the city’s 26 elementary schools and 10 high schools starting in January. The project is expected to be completed within three years.

“We recognize that our self-sacrificing teachers need a reprieve from their immense workload,” he said in a statement.

He added: “The teachers’ lounge is a space where they can eat, unwind, bond with each other and conduct meetings. Above all else, it will raise their morale, help them de-stress, promote dialogue and build a sense of belonging.”

Another teachers’ lounge is expected to open at Dr. Artemio Natividad Elementary School in Ususan before the year ends.