ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Friday lauded education support personnel on their special day, highlighting their crucial role in supporting the educational system.

“On this special day, we recognize the invaluable contributions of our ESPs who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth operation of our schools. They are the unsung heroes who deserve our appreciation and support,” Castro said.

At the same time, Castro called on the Marcos government to take concrete measures to address the overworked conditions of ESP and teachers by hiring additional personnel.

“The DepEd’s recent order to remove administrative tasks from teachers is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. We need to hire more ESPs to truly lighten the load of our overwhelmed teachers. The current setup is unsustainable, and we risk burning out our educators if we do not take drastic action,” the solon said.

Castro reiterated the demands of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines, which include the hiring of approximately 94,540 additional ESP nationwide, provision of an entry-level pay of P33,000 for ESP, and doubling the budget allocated for school Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses.

“We owe it to our ESPs and teachers to provide them with the support they need to thrive. It’s time for the government to take education seriously and invest in our educators, and we hope that the Senate would expedite the approval of the bill recognizing May 16 as Education Support Personnel Day,” Castro concluded.