Sen. Joel Villanueva's statement on the opening of classes

The "all systems go" pronouncement of the Department of Education (DepEd) for the opening of classes must be matched with the readiness on the ground of the facilities, teachers and students.

The era of missing classrooms, sharing tables and chairs and holding classes under the shade of trees must no longer happen.

We expect our students to have their classes in comfortable classrooms and with complete learning materials as promised by DepEd.

Observance of minimum health standards must be ensured as the threat of COVID-19 continues to linger.

The opening of a new school year also brings to focus the hardships of our teachers.

A salary upgrade is ideal which we will continue to push. But a realistic measure that may be immediately addressed would be an increase in allowance of public school teachers, including those in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and state-run technical vocational institutions (TVIs).

Teachers are skilled professionals doing increasingly complex and challenging work. Outside of their academic tasks, we know of teachers who end up spending their own money to shoulder classroom-related expenses and to assist needy students so they continue to be in school.

To this end, we have filed two Senate bills to alleviate the condition of our educators. We propose to provide additional grocery and transportation allowance, and medical allowance for teaching and non teaching personnel in public basic education schools (Senate Bill No. 564), as well as teaching personnel in our SUCs and TVIs (Senate Bill No. 565).

We must pay our teachers for what they are worth given the responsibility they carry on their shoulders -- our children's learning and future.

Kailangang matumbasan ng kahandaan ng mga pasilidad, mga guro, at estudyante ang inanunsyong "all systems go" ng Department of Education (DepEd) para sa pagbubukas ng klase.

Hindi na po dapat maulit ang panahon ng mga nawawalang silid-aralan, hatian sa mga mesa at upuan, at pagkakaroon ng klase sa ilalim ng puno.

Inaasahan po natin na papasok ang ating mga estudyante sa mga komportableng silid-aralan na may kumpletong learning materials, gaya ng ipinangako ng DepEd.

Pairalin pa rin po natin ang minimum health standards sa mga paaralan dahil nagbabadya pa rin ang panganib ng COVID-19.

Litaw na litaw rin po ang mga paghihirap na dinaranas ng ating mga guro sa pagbubukas ng bagong school year.

Isinusulong pa rin po natin ang pagtaas ng kanilang sahod. Samantala, mas realistic po ang mungkahing taasan natin ang mga allowance ng public school teachers, pati na rin ang mga nasa State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) at state-run technical vocational institutions (TVI).

Teachers are skilled professionals doing increasingly complex and challenging work. Sa labas ng kanilang mga gawaing pang-akademiko, alam natin na may mga gurong gumagastos mula sa kanilang mga sariling bulsa para lang may magamit sa pagtuturo sa paaralan, at matulungan ang mga estudyanteng kapus-palad na magpatuloy silang pumasok sa paaralan.

Kaya naman po meron tayong isinusulong na dalawang Senate bill upang pagaanin ang kalagayan ng ating mga guro. Mungkahi po natin na magkaroon ng dagdag na grocery and transportation allowance, at medical allowance ang mga teaching at non-teaching personnel sa public basic education schools (Senate Bill No. 564), gayundin ang mga full-time teaching personnel ng ating mga SUCs at TVIs (Senate Bill No. 565).

Ibigay po natin sa ating mga guro ang katumbas ng kanilang halaga, dahil responsibilidad nila ang karunungan at kinabukasan ng kabataang Pilipino.