Higher teacher salaries — one way to better education
TEACHING isn’t only a job, it is a calling. As a society, we trust teachers to educate the next generation—to educate our children—so that they will become the best they can be, both for themselves, and for the country.
And that’s why efforts to improve the quality of our education ought to focus on our teachers. President Manuel L. Quezon once said in a December, 1939, speech before division superintendents of the then Bureau of Education: “It is not the kind of materials used in the construction of a school that produces results. It makes no difference… whether the school-house is made of bamboo, cement, gold, or silver… What counts most is the quality of teachers.”
The teacher’s direct influence on a student’s education makes them important. In a 2003 text, “Hiring the Best Teachers,” published in the Educational Research Newsletter, research carried out in Tennessee showed that students who were under highly effective teachers for three consecutive years significantly outperformed others who did not have the same teacher experience. Another study in Dallas showed that if a student has an excellent teacher for only one year, then that student will remain ahead of his or her peers for the next few years. These studies alone underscores that teachers are the frontliners for education.
Despite their critical role, one serious concern for teachers in the Philippines continues to be their lessthan-ideal salaries—something made clear by the protest actions around the country on World Teachers’ Day last October 5.
Paying teachers a higher salary helps them to be more at ease with their jobs. Financial stress can force some teachers to find other ways to make ends meet, like freelance work. An article published recently in the Pacific Standard website, “Does Raising Teacher Salaries Improve Performance,” pointed this out, where higher salaries for teachers in America and in Indonesia made teachers less likely to take on a second job. It was also noted that in Latin American countries, higher salaries attracted would-be teachers who were more conscientious, and had higher IQs. National studies in the United Kingdom and the United States also found that students tended to do better when teachers had higher wages—possibly because those teachers were more focused on teaching.
Another interesting case for hiking salaries for teachers comes from Thailand. A 2011 UNESCO Bangkok paper outlined how Thai teachers — like their Filipino counterparts — also had issues with heavy debt. And while many factors were identified, there was broad consensus among survey respondents that the salaries of teachers were also significantly low. Again, it was mentioned that secondary jobs were a solution for these financial pressures.
In Europe, Finland has a fairly competitive wage for teachers, compared to other professions in the country. As a National Center for Education and the Economy article notes, they are given much respect within Finnish society, and high-quality teachers are practically a hallmark of the country’s educational system.
It seems that the many experiences of teachers around the world point to the following: that if the salary is too low, they have to find another source of income—which in turn, means their attention is divided and diverted away from their role as educators. A proper salary is needed to lessen the financial pressures on teachers. It is also implied in some of the studies that the higher salaries make the teaching profession more prestigious, and that this can attract and retain excellent teachers.
We have much to address in the Philippine educational system, but one thing that we should fast-track is giving our teachers higher salaries. Our teachers deserve no less.
Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 15 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 6 as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He recently won another term in the Senate.