BANTAY Balik-Eskwela hotline has been launched by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers to monitor the state of schools as the enrollment for School Year 2024-2025 is ongoing.

The ACT Bantay Balik-Eskwela Hotline can be reached via (1) mobile numbers 09569130778 for Globe and 09684801168 for Smart; (2) email at [email protected]; and (3) Facebook at fb.com/actph1982.

The group expressed concerns about the readiness of schools in the coming school year as initial reports showed that teachers again face issues similar to those experienced in previous school years.

“For activities conducted before class opening on July 29 such as NLC, Brigada Eskwela, and enrollment, we want to ensure that teachers rendering services during their supposed vacation are paid the corresponding service credits. We also want to monitor and prevent the imposition of mandatory donations from teachers, parents, and students for the resources needed for the school opening,” ACT chairperson Vladimer Quetua said.

Citing the Department of Education’s report, ACT said that the classroom shortage in the country is over 165,000.

Moreover, teachers, education support personnel, and teaching and learning resources remain insufficient in many schools, the group said.

“We reiterate our demand to urgently scrap the 15-day service credit limit as many teachers complain that many of their hard-earned credits are not honored because of the cap currently imposed. We also call on the national government to provide funds to repair and prepare classrooms so that teachers will truly be no longer obliged to ask for donations or spend out-of-pocket for classroom needs before school opens. And most importantly, we call for the allocation of the higher education budget, to as much as the equivalent of six percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to significantly address the backlogs and shortages in education,” Quetua emphasized.