Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013

Senate Bill No. 704: Basic Education Teachers Pay Increase Act

Accompanying the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, education reforms that were jumpstarted in recent years have been encouraging. These reforms sought to address backlogs in the building of classrooms and facilities, reorient systems for purchasing textbooks and other school supplies to curb corruption, and add teaching and non-teaching personnel to address the growing needs of schools. Truly, it is an exciting time for the Philippine public school system, with growing recognition that the Filipino student must be given the best education and learning experience to compete in the tough job market.

Unfortunately, our public school teachers, on whom we depend on to facilitate this experience, have been largely left out in these reforms. Even if education has the highest allocation in the national budget, teacher salaries have remained low, forcing teachers to be creative in their monthly subsistence. For an entry level position of Teacher 1, a duly licensed teacher receives a gross monthly salary of Php 19, 077 (Salary Grade 11, Step I)1. For a non­ teaching personnel, the gross monthly salary is Php 9,478 (Salary Grade 1, Step I)2. Even without the deductions, the figures are not attractive.

With the increasing cost of living, teachers and other school personnel must tighten their belts to get by on their modest salaries. They turn to loan agents, government and private, to make ends meet. They go into debt in order to provide for their families’ needs, even to the extent that the entirety of their salary end up going to loan payments. This dire situation makes it unattractive for the brightest graduates to take on the public school education career. Furthermore, seasoned educators are forced to leave their vocation for practical reasons – to seek greener pastures in other industries or even abroad.

It is pivotal for national development to add support and proper compensation for our teachers, as they shape and form the country’s future. Additional benefits would make a public education career not only noble, but practical and sustainable as well. Moreover, it helps enable our best and the brightest teachers to stay true to their calling and make a significant contribution to nation-building.

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Bam seeks to help graduates secure jobs through Trabaho Centers

A senator has filed a measure establishing Trabaho Centers in Senior High Schools all over the country, in a bid to bridge the gap between education and employment and address job mismatch.

 Sen. Bam Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 170 or the Trabaho Center in Schools Act will help Senior High School graduates under the K to 12 program, who chose to enter employment find opportunities through a job placement office.

 The measure will amend Section 9 of Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 that implements the K to 12, to include Trabaho Centers under its scope.

 “While we work on equipping our graduates with the adequate skills to join the workforce, let us also bridge that gap between education and employment through the Trabaho Centers,” said Sen. Bam.

 According to Sen. Bam, the Trabaho Center will focus on three main things – career counseling services, employment facilitation and industry matching.

 “Career counseling services shall be offered to help guide the students on the tracks they choose in Senior High School while Employment Facilitation is envisioned to assist the needs of a job seeker or the senior high school student,” explained Sen. Bam.

 Through industry matching, the needs of companies will be addressed by providing them graduate listings and resume profiling of students.

 The Public Employment Services Office (PESO) and TESDA will join forces to create a thorough database of job opportunities in the locality and immediately coordinate further training that might be needed based on particular employment opportunities.

 “Through the Trabaho Centers, the needs of our nation’s graduates, businesses in the country, and the vision of the Department of Education come together to make the most of our curriculum reform and help us move closer to shared prosperity,” said Sen. Bam.

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