MANILA (UPDATE) — A group of administrators on Thursday urged the government to raise the subsidy given to private school teachers, a move that could help keep private schools afloat after they were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joseph Noel Estrada, managing director of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines, said the education department should look at raising the pay given under the Teachers' Salary Subsidy (TSS).

The TSS is an annual subsidy for qualified teachers in junior high schools participating in the Department of Education's (DepEd) Educational Service Contracting (ESC) program, which aims to decongest overcrowded public high schools by allowing "poor but deserving" students to attend private high schools subcontracted by the government.

"Puwedeng tingnan or i-adjust 'yong Teachers' Salary Subsidy na ngayon ay binibigay naman sa private school teachers na nagtuturo sa ESC schools," Estrada told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo, when asked what assistance could be given to private schools.

(The government can look at adjusting the Teachers' Salary Subsidy that's given now to private school teachers in ESC schools.)

"Napakaliit noon (TSS) at hindi talaga rin mapapantay sa public schools," he said.

(The TSS is so small and it can't really match the salaries in public schools.)

Estrada also suggested expanding the TSS program to include teachers in senior high school.

"Para kahit papano, maidikit naman 'yong difference at hindi maging dahilan sa paglipat ng maraming private school teachers sa public schools," he said.

(By giving TSS to senior high school teachers, their salaries will be closer to those teaching in public schools. We can also avoid the exodus of private school teachers to public schools.)

The private education sector has long been hounded by the migration of its teachers to public schools because of the higher wages they offer, which private schools often cannot match.

At a House hearing on Wednesday, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said the DepEd could not further raise the salaries of public school teachers as it might spur the migration of private school teachers and school closures — a point that Estrada agreed with.

• Pay hike for public school teachers may lead to private school closures: VP Duterte

But in a statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the DepEd should be more worried about teachers looking for job opportunities in other countries than the possible migration to private schools.

"Parami nang parami sa mga kabaro namin ang nangingibang-bayan na o nag-aaplay ng trabaho sa Vietnam, Thailand, China, Europa at iba pa dahil napakahirap maging guro sa bayan natin," ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said in a statement without giving specific figures.

(Many of our fellow teachers have been working in other countries or are applying for work in Vietnam, Thailand, China and Europe because it's so hard to be a teacher in our own country.)

"In no time, we will be losing the best of our teachers both in the public and private sector if the government does not remedy our situation quickly. Parehong underpaid ang mga guro sa publiko at pribado," he said.

(Both teachers in the public and private sector are underpaid.)

Quetua also argued that private schools "did not close down during the pandemic due to the exodus of teachers, but due to the transfer of many students from private to public schools."

"It is due to the government's failure to cushion the economic impacts of the pandemic on the livelihood of Filipino families and to provide ample support to private schools,' he said.

"Using the old and worn-out private school card to deflect calls for salary upgrading is just a baseless and lousy excuse," Quetua said, reiterating calls to raise entry-level teachers' Salary Grade to 15 from 11.

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SCHOOL CLOSURES

Estrada said 865 private schools closed during the first year of the health crisis, while some 700 ceased operations in 2021.

• 865 private schools suspend operations this school year

He could not say how many private schools have closed so far in 2022 but noted that enrollment was still low.

"Karamihan ay hindi pa rin naman din nagbago 'yong enrollment, 'yong iba nga ay lalo pang nabawasan," he said.

(Many schools still have the same enrollment figures, others even reported lower figures.)

In August, some 70 private schools in Western Visayas halted operations due to low enrollment and financial constraints, according to the regional DepEd office.

The DepEd earlier reported that 425 private schools have permanently closed since 2020 due to the pandemic, affecting 20,838 learners.