Ahead of World Teachers’ Day on Oct. 5, thousands of teachers walked out of their classes yesterday in a coordinated protest to denounce corruption and government neglect, specifically in the education sector.
Protest actions were staged across the country to push for increased education funding, better wages for teachers and accountability from public officials.
According to Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines chairman Vladimer Quetua, the demonstrations were held amid growing revelations of corruption in public infrastructure projects.
These include recent testimonies before the Senate detailing how classrooms, flood control systems and other projects were either left unfinished or constructed below standard due to kickbacks.
To illustrate their grievances, Metro Manila protesters staged a satirical game show skit that underscored the state’s neglect of the education sector – highlighting issues such as overworked teachers, meager salaries, the reduction of subjects in general and senior high school and the militarization of campuses – while public funds continue to be lost to questionable infrastructure projects, confidential funds and kickbacks.
Amplifying ACT’s calls for reform, Quetua called for a substantial salary increase for teachers and education support personnel, the doubling of the education budget to six percent of the gross domestic product and full accountability for corrupt officials.
He warned that if no meaningful reforms or concrete relief are forthcoming, teachers are prepared to escalate their actions.
‘World Teachers’ Day is not about hollow praises; it is our collective defiance against a corrupt system that starves education,’ said Quetua.
Education data
Meanwhile, in a bid toward seamless learner tracking and evidence-based policymaking, the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to unify their data systems.
The agreement was formalized during the first joint management committee meeting, with Education Secretary Sonny Angara, CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis and TESDA director general Jose Francisco Benitez.
‘For too long, our view of a student’s journey has been fragmented. We are finally seeing the complete picture, from their first day in kindergarten to their entry into the workforce,’ Angara said.
The initiative directly addresses the long-standing issue of disjointed learner data among the three agencies.
Previously, each maintained separate systems – DepEd’s Learner Reference Number (LRN), CHED’s own identifiers and TESDA’s Unique Learner Identifier – which made it difficult to track students across educational transitions.
Under the MOU, CHED and TESDA will adopt and utilize DepEd’s LRN as the unique identifier for students in higher and technical-vocational education.
DepEd will continue issuing the LRN and ensure its data is accessible to both agencies, while TESDA will provide its data to support the harmonization effort.
‘This unified system will be our compass for upskilling and reskilling the Filipino workforce, ensuring our training programs are not only world-class but also perfectly aligned with the needs of our growing economy,’ Benitez said.
Agrupis emphasized that higher education institutions will benefit from improved clarity in enrollment projections, scholarship program targeting and curriculum development.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education hailed the agreement as a critical move toward system convergence, especially for supporting Alternative Learning System completers, out-of-school youth and beneficiaries of programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship.
EDCOM 2 noted that the new system will improve enrollment forecasting for technical-vocational and higher education, guiding budget planning for state universities and colleges.
It also emphasized that the MOU is a direct result of the consensus reached during the first education data harmonization meeting it convened.
‘The new MOU acknowledges that sustained educational reforms are only possible when data is readily available and accessible for policy formulation,’ EDCOM 2 said.
The agreement also calls for coordination with other government agencies, including the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine Statistics Authority, to align the system with broader national development goals.
The three agencies aim to pilot the system by 2026 and fully implement it by 2027, following a phased approach supported by the Education Center for AI Research.