The Privileges of Public School Teachers

Our school's teaching force.

My co teacher, who's taking an MA in ED Management, was reading a book; she was obviously preparing a presentation for her MA class. I took a look at the book and it was an old book about educational supervision and management, sort of a principal’s manual.

Anyway, there were interesting things that I learned from my reading some of which I already knew some of which I did not know. Anyway, I’m just sharing some excerpts from School Administration and Supervision by Gregorio p. 363 ff. This book was copyrighted in 1961 so there may be some changes that have been effected since then. Anyway, here are the excerpts. For brevity, I did not copy all the details except for items which  think are not that known to some public school teachers.

Here we go:

As Civil Service employees, the public school teachers, supervisors, and administrators are enjoying special privileges. All privileges of the teaching personnel are prescribed by law. Some of these privileges are the following: (I did not cite all the relevant laws for this is just an overview of what I have read. For complete information I suggest you read Gregorio’s book.)

1.      Teachers as persons in authority.    

           This means that teachers cannot be attacked physically when performing their duties. This law protects the teachers from being physically harmed by parents and other individuals who may have grudges against them.                                                                                                                      .                                                    

2.     Maternity Leave. {I think there are already provisions for paternity leave]

3.     Study Leave.

Public school teachers are encouraged to raise their educational qualifications. Study leave is intended to assist teachers in securing personal and professional improvement and to retain in service those teachers who are efficient.

4.     Outside teaching.

The Department allows public school teachers to teach in private evening classes in not more than 12 hours a week in addition to their regular loads in their own schools.

5.     Vacation and sick leave.

6.     Compulsory insurance. [GSIS is the main insuring agency of the government.]

7.     Vacation Pay.

Teachers are entitled to pay during the Christmas and long vacation.

8.     Service Credit.

A teacher on the teacher’s leave basis is given service credit when he is asked to work during the vacation period. This service credit maybe used to offset past and future absences due to illness and other reasonable causes.

9.     Salary Loans.

10. Free Medical Consultations.

11. Cost of living and hardship allowance.

Public school teachers are entitled to cost of living allowance. The teachers’ salaries shall keep pace with the rise in cost of living by the payment of cost-of-living allowance.

Likewise, special hardship allowances are to be enjoyed by public school teachers in some areas of the country.             In areas to where teachers are exposed to hardships such as difficulty in commuting to the place of work or other hazards as determined by the Secretary of Education.

12. Compensation for injuries.

13. Joining Teachers’ Organization.

Public school teachers shall have the right and without previous authorization to freely to establish or to join organizations of their choosing whether local or national to further defend their interest, subject to existing laws, Civil Service Rules, and policies of the State. The right established shall be exercised without any interference or coercion.

14. Enjoy Academic Freedom.

Teachers are free to use any method of teaching they think best for their pupils. Likewise, they are free to experiment and express the result of their experiment.

15. Working Hours for Teachers

Teachers engaged in actual classroom teaching are required to render not more than six hours of actual classroom teaching a day to give hime/her time for the preparation and correction exercises and other work incidental to his normal teaching duties.

They maybe required to render more than six hours but not exceeding eight hours of actual classroom teaching a day upon payment of additional compensation at the same rate as his regular remuneration plus at least twenty five percent of his basic salary.

16. Retirement Benefit.

17. Tenure of office.  

       Regular or permanent public school teachers and officials are granted stability of employment and security of tenure.