PUBLIC school teachers will enjoy a P9,000 salary increase to be given within three years if certain bills pending in Congress are approved.

House Bill 4734 and Senate Bill 2408 seek to give additional pay for teachers that would make their salaries “at par with those received by soldiers and policemen.”

The bills propose that all public school teachers, locally-funded teachers, Philippine Science High School system teaching and non-teaching personnel and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) with a salary grade level lower than 30 be entitled to the increase.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is lobbying with the Lower House and the Senate for the approval of the bills, which already passed second reading in the Senate.

Fewer hours

Teachers will be entitled to receive an additional pay of P9,000, which will be paid in full within three years, or an increase of P3,000 per year, if the bills are approved.

“Teachers’ welfare and benefits are our top priority,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said in press statement.

Still on the welfare of teachers, DepEd released a new set of guidelines on the reduction of classroom instruction hours.

The guidelines ensure compliance of the Civil Service Commission rule that allows teachers six hours of classroom teaching, instead of the usual eight hours.

DepEd also released P400 million last year to partially settle unpaid loyalty pay, step increments and other entitlements of its personnel.

The amount is on top of the P388 million released to cover Philhealth premium adjustments due to the increase of premiums from P100 to P112.

To provide houses for its teachers, DepEd signed a memorandum of agreement with Gawad Kalinga, Pag-Ibig and local government units to provide homes to more than 90,000 teachers nationwide who still do not have their own houses. (EPB)