Public school teachers are among the lowest paid professionals in the Philippines and lowest paid teachers throughout Asia. It is a socioeconomic problem that affects not only the teachers but also the students and the nation as a whole.

At present, the average salary given to public school teachers is around P18,549 under the third phase of the Salary Standardization Law. 

This is further decreased by deductions from different from their loans and private lending institutions. To add to this, there usual deductions made such as Government Service Insurance premiums, withholding taxes, PHILHEALTH contributions, etc. leaving them with an inadequate amount of salary given the high cost of living we have today.

With the low salaries received by the public school teachers in our country, this implies the lack of value given to this occupation and also the quality of the teachers being recruited for a teaching job. Public school teachers are seen as just government employees, overlooking their important roles as second parents and formators of future of future citizens of a nation.

Low salaries given to teachers spawn different problems. They include:

Teachers choosing to work abroad - “brain drain problem”

Aside from the undervalued role of the teachers, given the low salaries they receive, more and more of them opted on working abroad instead. In fact, they go abroad to work as domestic workers or other occupations that do not suit their educational attainment. This is due to the fact that the salary offer is way more competitive than what they receive here, not to mention the benefits that await them abroad.

Disincentive to further improve public education system

In his proposed bill (H.B. No. 395), Senator Sonny Angara pointed out that the low salaries of the public school teachers have been “a major disincentive for them to improve their skills in teaching and pursue further education and training.” Moreover, this hinders the public schools to recruit top-performing students from various colleges and universities hence, keeping our public education system from taking advantage of their knowledge and expertise to serve as qualified teachers.

SOLUTION:

Increase the salary of public school teachers through approving pending bills. This would mean paying tribute to their important contribution in educating the youth and to provide them with decent pay commensurate to the sacrifices they make in educating the country’s youth -- the country's future citizens. This increase will also change people's perception of public school teachers from just government employees to public servants and formators of a nation of citizens with moral integrity.