MANILA- The Department of Education said Monday it is hiring 10,000 teachers next year.

The new teachers will have a starting salary of over P21,000 per month, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

Wooing teachers, Briones said those who would work for the government would also receive 2-month paid vacation, bonuses, and "special hardship pay" for those assigned in far-flung areas.

"Meron tayong (we have) additional benefits, cash allowance," she said.

If accepted, these teachers will enjoy a permanent position.

As mandated by the law, the education department always gets the biggest cut of the national budget.

For the proposed 2020 budget, the government is proposing a P550.9 billion funding for DepEd which is nearly 4 percent higher that its P530.23 billion budget this year.

Briones said the agency needs more teachers due to efforts to reduce the number of students per class.

The DepEd initially planned to hire 41,000 teachers but the Department of Budget and Management only allowed 10,000, Briones explained.

As of April 2019, there are 847,400 teaching positions in DepEd. Of this figure, 41,500 have yet to be filled.

NO SALARY HIKE FOR TEACHERS

Despite having the biggest cut of the proposed budget, there is no provision for an increase in teachers' salaries in the 2020 proposed expenditure plan.

Briones however allayed concerns, saying DepEd is discussing ways to increase the salaries of teachers with other government agencies.

One method that the agency is looking at is faster promotions for teachers so they can have higher salaries.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers meanwhile alleged that DepEd is not even acting on the proposal to increase teachers' salaries.

ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said the budget department is still waiting on DepEd to submit a proposal for the pay hike.

"Maraming mga teacher na matagal nang nakapako ang kanilang salary grade dun sa kanilang entry level position. Ang masakit marami sa mga guro kung ano ang position nila sa pagpasok, yun parin ang kanilang position hanggang sa pag-retire," he said.

(Many teachers have long been stuck in the salary grade for entry level positions. What's painful is many of the teachers retire in entry-level positions.)

Briones said DepEd is also proposing for additional benefits for teachers. -report from Jasmin Romero, ABS-CBN News