To uphold the welfare of the country's public school teachers, re-electionist Senator Win Gatchalian said he will pursue amendments to the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670) to make it more responsive to present challenges.
"If given the chance to go back to the Senate, we will upgrade and update the Magna Carta. Without our teachers, there's no education and we need to make sure that our teachers are highly trained, educated, and motivated so that the best education will be delivered to our learners," said Gatchalian.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, Gatchalian led an inquiry to review the implementation of the law, which was passed in 1966. In Senate Resolution No. 522, Gatchalian noted that some provisions were not implemented while others were either selectively or partly enforced.
Under the Magna Carta, every public school teacher shall not render more than six hours of actual classroom teaching a day. Activities outside of their normal duties or in excess of six hours a day of teaching load should entitle them to additional compensation.
A 2019 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, however, pointed out that several additional administrative or student support roles are assigned to teachers, which sideline their actual teaching and erode the quality of instruction. These include participation in the implementation of various programs such as mass immunizations, deworming, and election, among others.
The Magna Carta provides that teachers' salaries shall compare favorably with those paid in other occupations requiring equivalent or similar qualifications. Gatchalian lamented that the entry-level pay of Filipino teachers is much lower compared to their peers in the ASEAN like Indonesia (P66,099) and Singapore (P60,419). He proposes to raise the salary of Teacher I from Salary Grade 11 (P25,439) to Salary Grade 13 (P29,798) or 14 (P32,321). According to the senator, raising teachers' salaries is one of the ways to boost teachers' morale and motivate young people to join the teaching force.
The Magna Carta also provides that public school teachers are entitled to free and compulsory medical examination before taking up teaching.
Gatchalian emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the failure to guarantee these health benefits, especially as teachers faced risks to their health and safety during the rollout of distance learning.
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Gatchalian nais amyendahan ang Magna Carta for Public School Teachers
Upang patuloy na maitaguyod ang kapakanan ng mga guro sa pampublikong mga paaralan, ipinahayag ng re-electionist na si Senador Win Gatchalian na maghahain siya ng panukalang pag-amyenda sa Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670) upang maging mas akma ito sa kasalukuyang panahon.
"Kung mabibigyan tayo ng pagkakataong makabalik sa Senado, aamyendahan natin ang Magna Carta upang maging mas akma ito sa panahon natin. Kailangan nating tiyakin na ang ating mga guro ay may sapat na edukasyon, training, at may mataas na morale upang maihatid ang pinakamahusay na edukasyon sa ating mga mag-aaral," pahayag ni Gatchalian.
Bilang chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, pinangunahan ni Gatchalian ang pagrepaso sa pagpapatupad ng naturang batas na naipasa noong 1966. Sa Senate Resolution No. 522, binigyang diin ni Gatchalian na may mga probisyon ang Magna Carta na hindi ganap o lubusang naipapatupad.
Sa ilalim ng Magna Carta, hindi dapat lalagpas sa anim na oras ang pagtuturo ng mga guro sa mga pampublikong paaralan. Kung kakailanganing lumagpas sa anim na oras ang trabaho ng mga guro, dapat makatanggap sila ng karagdagang sahod.
Ayon sa isang pag-aaral ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies noong 2019, naipapasa sa mga guro ang maraming mga gawaing administratibo, bagay na nakakaapekto sa kanilang pagtuturo. Kabilang dito ang kanilang pakikilahok sa pagpapatupad ng mga programang tulad ng pagbabakuna, deworming, halalan, at iba pa.
Nakasaad din sa Magna Carta na ang sahod ng mga guro ay dapat maging kapantay ng sahod sa ibang mga propesyon, kung saan kinakailangan ang parehong mga kwalipikasyon. Dismayado si Gatchalian na napag-iwanan na ang sahod ng mga guro sa bansa kung ihahambing sa ibang bansa sa ASEAN tulad ng Indonesia (P66,099) at Singapore (P60,419).
Ipinapanukala ni Gatchalian na itaas mula Salary Grade 11 (P25,439) tungo sa Salary Grade 13 (P29,798) o Salary Grade 14 (P32,321) ang sahod ng Teacher I. Aniya, ang pagtaas sa sweldo ng mga guro ang isang paraan upang mapanatiling mataas ang morale ng mga guro. Paraan din ito upang mahikayat ang mas maraming mga mag-aaral na kumuha ng kurso sa pagtuturo.
Ayon pa sa Magna Carta, dapat makatanggap ang mga guro ng libre at compulsory medical examination bago sila magturo.
Para kay Gatchalian, ang hindi pagpapatupad sa probisyong ito ay nabigyang diin noong mataas ang kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa at hinarap ng mga guro ang panganib sa kanilang kalusugan at kaligtasan.
