Mas malaking bayad sa mga special needs teachers, isinusulong ng mambabatas 

ISINUSULONG ni Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan ang pagpasa sa panukalang magtataas sa sahod ng Special Needs Education (SNed) teachers upang makatulong na mapunan ang kakulangan sa mga guro sa public schools. 

Sa panukalang nakapaloob sa House Bill (HB) 5574, ang minimum salary grade level ng SNed teachers sa elementary at secondary public school system ay itataas mula Grade 14 (P38,764) sa Grade 16, na katumbas sa basic monthly pay na P45,694 ngayon taon at P47,829 sa 2027. 

“Lahat dapat ay pantay-pantay ang oportunidad sa edukasyon, at mangyayari lamang ito kung may sapat tayong mga special needs education teachers sa public schools para sa mga mag-aaral na may disabilities,” ani Yamsuan. 

Sinabi ni Yamsuan na kailangang magdagdag ng special needs educators sa public school system, kung saan nasa 391,089 LWDs ang naka-enroll habang mababa sa 6,000 ang bilang ng SNed teachers para sa school year 2024-2025. 

Sa isang pag-aaral ng Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) lumabas na yaong naka-enroll tanging 32% ang mayroong SNed teacher na naka-assign sa kanilang eskuwelahan. Nabatid pa sa pag-aaral na 3 sa 4 na LWDs ay naisasama sa general education classes, na madalas na may regular teachers na hindi handa para magbigay ng kinakailangang specialized support.

Ang bilang ng LWDs na naka-enrol sa public schools para sa school year 2024-2025 ay katumbas lamang ng mababa sa 8% ng tinatayang 5.1 milyong children with disabilities sa buong bansa.

“Promoting inclusive education should not be mere lip service. It should be supported by concrete actions. A SNed teacher cannot effectively teach and guide LWDs four times the number that he or she can handle, while facing complex demands that go beyond their teaching load, such as designing differentiated instruction, implementing individualized education plans and exploring different sensory and behavioral approaches to help students thrive in a formal school environment,” ani Yamsuan.

 “Sadly, many SNed teachers have sought better pay, working conditions and professional development opportunities abroad, further widening the gap between teacher supply and learner demand. We hope that the swift passage of our measure will help stem this exodus, and strengthen the backbone of inclusive education by encouraging more SNEd teachers to teach in our public schools.”

(VINA de GUZMAN)