Teachers to get pay hike in 2020

MANILA, Philippines — Public school teachers should expect gradual increases in their salary starting 2020, according to special assistant to the president Bong Go.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) last Tuesday, Go said the teachers would receive high salaries after the end of the implementation of the salary standardization law next year.

“There will be gradual increases for teachers from 2020 up to 2022, until the end of the term of our President,” he said in Filipino.

“As your servant and the assistant of the President, I will do everything to ensure the immediate implementation of your salary increase,” he added.

Earlier discussions on salary increase for teachers covered only those in public elementary and high schools.

It was unclear if the announcement made by Go – who was speaking before CHED officials and employees as well as stakeholders in the higher education sector – would cover college teachers in state universities and colleges.

Go was the representative of President Duterte at the opening of the higher education fair that marked CHED’s 24th founding anniversary.

Angara revolutionized education

In his speech, CHED officer-in-charge J. Prospero de Vera III paid tribute to former Senate president Edgardo Angara, who died last Sunday due to heart attack.

Angara led the passage of the bill that created CHED and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in 1994.

“In his 23 years as senator, he focused on and revolutionized the education system, opening up new and exciting learning opportunities for students and faculty, and expanding access to millions of underprivileged Filipinos whose right to education has been neglected over time,” De Vera said.

“No statesman of this generation has authored and implemented the wide range of far-reaching reforms that senator Angara did in the Senate... He has made life significantly much better for many Filipinos and laid the foundation of the future growth of the country,” he added.

Activities lined up this week include exhibits showcasing various researches, a booth that will provide students with information on scholarships and other opportunities abroad, and a number of higher education-related fora.