President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a law June 3 increasing the annual teaching allowance for public school teachers, from P5,000 to P10,000, beginning in school year 2025-2026.
“Indeed, this new law institutionalizes the provision of an annual teaching allowance and gradually increases it from the current five thousand pesos to ten thousand pesos, which will not be subjected to income tax,” Marcos said during the ceremonial signing in Malacañang of Republic Act No. 11997, or the “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act”.
“And while it might seem inconsequential to those who are already used to having a steady supply of basic materials for work, this amount makes an enormous difference for our beloved teachers and for the students,” he pointed out.
Marcos said that, for decades, teachers have willingly taken on the burden of having to spend their own money on classroom supplies to aid them in teaching, wholeheartedly embracing their responsibility as part of their duty as teachers.
“It must take an incredible amount of love to sacrifice what little you have for the sake of your students, despite having financial worries of your own,” Marcos told the teachers. “With the passage of this law, we are easing some of the burden that you carry each day.”
The newly-approved law represents the most significant increase, to date, of the former chalk allowance, the Presidential Communications Office said as it noted that public school teachers have historically received allowances for their actual teaching expenses, which began from P100 in 1988 to P5,000 by 2021.
Marcos said teachers are the unsung heroes of society, toiling and burning the midnight oil, as well as teaching the Filipino children not for money or prestige.
They serve the country each day by teaching children the basic foundations to make them responsible and productive citizens, he said, adding that, since the start of his term, he has placed great emphasis on the need to bolster the education system with great urgency.
Marcos said that through the administration’s Matatag Agenda, the government is addressing the challenges to basic education by decongesting the basic education curriculum, building more classrooms and providing learning materials and internet connection, pursuing the school-based feeding program, fostering safe spaces for learning, and implementing other programs aimed at supporting the welfare of both learners and teachers. ||
