MANILA - Incoming vice president and Education Secretary Sara Duterte must help push for increased teachers' salary and ensure classrooms are prepared for the upcoming school year, a group said Monday.

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President Rodrigo Duterte, Sara's father, in 2020 signed the Salary Standardization Law of 2019, which provided wage hikes for government workers, including public school teachers.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers Secretary-General Raymond Basilio said it was not "merely about increasing but correcting the injustice done to our teachers."

"We know that there are some limitations with the budget but we're doing this injustice to our teachers for several years already. Recently the Supreme Court upheld that the entry-level pay for nurses is Salary Grade 15 or P37,000," he told ANC's Headstart.

"We have the same qualification for our military personnel, their pay has been increased years ago. It's quite unfair for teachers who have the same qualification and job description have been left out."

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Government also did not provide assistance for teachers stricken with COVID-19, Basilio said. The group has called for a P3,000 emergency allowance for teachers, he added.

"That's the sad reality. Ni singkong duling po walang naibigay na assistance sa'tin ang gobyerno. We had hundreds of teachers who died because of COVID-19. Ang dami nagkasakit," he said.

(Teachers did not receive a single cent from government. We had hundreds of teachers who died because of COVID-19. Many were infected.)

"Ang nangyari po dito nag-pass the hat. Nagcontribute ang teachers, nagtulong-tulong."

(What happened was "pass the hat." Teachers contributed and helped each other.)

Duterte should also ensure that facilities are ready and schools are able to admit all students for the incoming school year, Basilio said.

"Dito sa limited face-to-face, I've heard...tinatanggihan ng schools ang ibang estudyante na gusto sumali sa limited face-to-face, because of facilities. Walang classroom, walang sapat na bilang ng teachers," he said.

(As for limited face-to-face classes, I've heard...some schools are rejecting students who want to join limited face-to-face classes because of facilities. There are not enough classrooms and teachers.)

Teachers should also be provided gadgets such as laptops and free masters' degree education, Basilio added.

The Department of Education earlier said it would distribute thousands of laptops to teachers.

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"Alam ko po maraming teachers ang nagloan para makabili ng laptop computer. Natapos na po ang 2 years..di pa rin dumadating sa teachers ang mga laptop computers na ito," Basilio said.

(Many teachers availed of loans to buy laptop computers. Two years have passed...and these laptop computers government promised have yet to reach teachers.)

Government is urged to comply with the UNESCO education agenda that 6 percent of the country's gross domestic product should be allocated to the education sector, Basilio said.

The Philippines' curriculum must also be revisited, he added. History should be added to junior high school, he said.

"Philippine History po ay nasa elementary lang po. We are really fighting for this na maibalik ang pagaaral ng kasaysayan ng bansa. Kung sana nasa midyear makakaipagsip sila nang maayos," he said.

(Philippine History is taught during elementary only. We are really fighting for the history of the country to be taught again. If it's taught during the middle school, children can think properly.)

"Many areas ay general academic ang programs so wala yung STEM for you to be skilled and equipped."

(Many areas have general academic programs so there's no STEM for you to be skilled and equipped.)

On Duterte's promise not to revise history, Basilio said the group would monitor.

"We are ready to release materials if there are any attempts for historical revisionism or distortion," he said.

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