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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
June 12, 2026 | 12:00am
Students of Bulihan Elementary School in Malolos Bulacan sing "Lupang Hinirang" on Monday during the first day of classes for school year 2026-2027.
Philstar.com / Hazel Cruz
MANILA, Philippines — The education budget should be raised to six percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to stop teachers and parents from spending their own money for school repairs and remedial programs, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said yesterday.
“The only solution to stop the expenses of teachers and parents for Brigada Eskwela and ARAL (Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning) is to increase the national education budget to at least six percent of GDP. This is the international standard and the only guarantee for sufficient funds for facilities, materials and salaries,” ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said.
Bernardo noted that based on an ACT nationwide survey, 75 percent of teachers reported spending their own money for Brigada Eskwela activities, while 85 percent said teachers themselves served as unpaid tutors under the ARAL Program.
She added that among ARAL participants, 74 percent received no overtime pay or transportation allowance.
“It is an insult to teachers to hear repeated assurances from the agency that they are not expected to spend from their own pockets because support has supposedly increased. The reality is the opposite – there is no increase in support, forcing teachers to shoulder repair and classroom preparation costs from their already meager salaries,” Bernardo added.
Bernardo said the survey also exposed the failure of the ARAL Program implementation.”
She said that these findings demonstrate that teacher shortages and chronic understaffing force educators to absorb tasks and expenses that should be borne by the state.
“The P8.9 billion allocated is not being felt because teachers were not paid for their extra work,” Bernardo noted.
The first week of classes that began June 8 was generally OK despite the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said yesterday.
