Chalk it up to the budget! (Screeshot taken from video clip of ABS-CBN’s Bandila)
It looks like public school teachers have finally had enough. But, don’t worry, they’re not quitting. They’re just saying things with chalk (or the lack thereof).
ABS-CBNNews reports, "The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has declared a chalk holiday on September 16 to condemn the limited allowance the government gives to schools for their teaching paraphernalia."
As it is, public school teachers end up spending their own money for their teaching materials. The report revealed that teachers get "P700 a year as chalk allowance, or a subsidy of P3.50 per day." Teachers want their allowance "to be raised to P2,000 a year or P9.85 per day." This means an additional P1 billion in annual budget to cover some 500,000 public schools.
"We will teach our students that day but we will not use (chalk) to emphasize our demand," ACT Vice Chairperson Benjie Valbuena told ABS-CBN News.
In reponse to the teachers’ clamor, the report quoted Education Secretary Armin Luistro, who said, "We will increase the chalk allowance if we are granted an increase in the budget."
For more on this story, log on to ABS-CBNNews reports.