THE ALLIANCE  of Concerned Teachers welcomed the issuance by President Rodrigo Duterte of Executive Order 174 which ensures the career progression of teachers but said that there is no substitute for the salary hike that teachers are demanding.

“Ok naman to some extent ang executive order na ito pero huwag sanang ito na ang sagot nila sa panawagan ng mga guro para sa makabuluhang dagdag na sahod dahil napag-iwanan na talaga ang sahod ng mga guro,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

“The salary of Teacher 1 should at least be  at Salary Grade 15 or P35,097 but with this order it may be used just to promote teachers but not raise their basic entry level salary,” he added.

“As far as the teachers on the ground are concerned, there are more basic and effective ways to propel progress to the teaching career and education quality in the country than the creation of Teacher IV, V, VI and VII positions. Having quality teachers is imperative in improving the quality of education. This all starts with the State’s valuing of the teachers and the work that they do,” he said.

The ACT proposed the upgrading of the salary levels of Teacher I, II and III from SG 11, 12 and 13 to SG 15, 16 and 17 respectively; implement an automatic reclassification system based on the existing qualifications of teachers; set up an open and fair promotions/reclassification system where teachers are free to develop and upgrade their own existing items and are not restricted by item limitations; and create a free master’s/doctoral education program for teachers.

The group also wanted to eliminate the non-teaching duties assigned to teachers by creating ample items for and hiring education support personnel.