Legarda: Special Allowance for Teachers, Improvement of Classrooms Funded in 2019 GAA

After increasing the chalk allowance of teachers in the past years, Senator Loren Legarda has now introduced a special allowance to public school teachers that they will receive under the 2019 national budget.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, initiated the allocation of additional P800 million under the Department of Education (DepEd) budget. The said allocation will be given to public school teachers, P1,000 per teacher, every World Teachers’ Day on October 5, as an incentive or honorarium.

“Through this special incentive, we want to express our gratitude to our teachers. Our goal is to highlight the value of teachers and the essential role they play in the development of the youth. They also do other duties for our country by assisting during the elections and aid the Philippine Statistics Authority in gathering data from households across the country,” she said.

In the previous budgets, Legarda supported the increase in the chalk allowance of teachers. From P1,500 in 2015, the chalk allowance of teachers has increased to P3,500 since 2018. The increase in chalk allowance allows teachers to purchase more classroom supplies that aid them in effectively teaching their students.

Legarda also said that the DepEd budget for 2019 includes funding for Green Basic Education Facilities in the amount of P30.973 billion. This will fund the construction, completion, rehabilitation and improvement of school buildings, including water and sanitation facilities, and acquisition of desk and classroom furniture in kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

For Antique, Legarda said that the Province will be reclassified into a large district allowing for more Deped supervisors and commensurate support. There is also funding for Festival of Talents, cultural mapping, and repair and restoration of Gabaldon buildings.

“The 2019 budget continues to fund the Free College Education Law and we will continue to support programs to improve our learning institutions and enhance the quality of education in our country. Education is the best investment for our nation and our people. It is incumbent upon us to prioritize education in our budget in order to cultivate leaders and nation builders of tomorrow and we must ensure that every Filipino is given a fair chance to access quality education that will open better opportunities for development,” Legarda concluded.