May 28, 2021
"Eat enough to keep you healthy, dress well to look decent, enjoy enough to give you spirit emotion and your nerves relaxation, but all the time you must have an objective in your life, have an idea - a noble idea - and pursue it. " - President Manuel L. Quezon
It cannot be denied that teaching is the noblest of all professions. And teachers are the pillars and foundation of every nation's educational system. In a third country like the Philippines and with many of its people living in an impoverished situation, education is the only way out of poverty and depressing condition.
The teachers' task is arduous. They mold not only the future of every student but also the future president of our nation. Their sacrifices go beyond the teaching hours they spent with their pupils in the school, as they need to burn few more hours of their time at home preparing lesson plans for the days ahead. A time should have been spent for their families and loved ones. And during elections, they provide unequal service to the country that is tantamount to sacrificing even their lives so we can have credible results that will be acceptable both to the public and aspiring candidates. They were the unsung heroes that only a few can recognize.
But how they are today? How were they are being treated? And, how well are they being compensated for their services to the country and its people?
5o years back, teachers are well respected in their community. (Something that is no longer evident nowadays). They enjoy different benefits and compensations from the government. Suffice to say, they live well within the boundaries of the standard of living. And that made them proud of their profession.
But those were the days.
Today, our teachers are among the lowest-paid and poorly compensated professionals in the country. Seemingly the most neglected workers in the government.
"Man does not live by bread alone", so the holy scriptures say. And that, others say, the greatest reward of the teacher comes not from the salary they received, but by how far the pupil has achieved.
But bread is the basic staff of life. How can you be at your best with an empty stomach? They have families to feed, they also need money to pay for house rent, electric, and water bills. They have children that need to go to school. They also aspire for something that could uplift their pride and well-being. And just like any other human being, like you and me, they also need to eat three times a day and cope with the changing standard of living, capped of course, by the ever-growing inflation.
The very future of our youths and of this nation is in the hands of these educators. If we continue to ignore the plight of these teachers, we might end up losing the interest of many youths to pursue teaching courses which will drastically affect our educational system, and further worsen the lack of quality teachers that we direly need.
Just recently, an international study revealed that Filipino students ranked among the lowest in reading comprehension, affecting mainly English, science, and mathematics subject.
This is quite alarming, considering we are among the top English-speaking countries globally.
It's high time that we should consider reviewing the plight of our teachers. They are the key to the procession of the country and its people. They deserve to be compensated just like any other nation-movers working for the betterment of our nation. If the police and soldiers were given an increase in their salaries, why can't the teachers get the same?
Hopefully, this government will realize the importance of our teachers, just as they did with our soldiers. That way, the President might be able to remember the promise that he made of doubling their basic salaries. When this happens, our teachers will soon find themselves proud once again of their chosen profession and they can walk heads-up, and compete with the best in the world. A place they worthily belong.
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Image source:
https://mb.com.ph/2020/04/29/teachers-need-assistance-to-use-flexible-learning-options-survey/
Governments always do what they want by tasting the people's tax monies, which are supposed to be used to pay their administrative staff such as teachers. This is an extremely toxic and political issue.In which susceptibilities can easily be hurt. You are quite skilled at writing. I congratulate you.