It may not be the whole proverbial nine yards, but it is a good start.

Not one giant leap for Filipino global competitiveness, but an essential first step towards that direction.

In fact, the significance of the enactment of the law was not lost on a militant teachers’ organization championing meaningful educational reforms and the promotion of teachers’ welfare.

While remaining  opposed to the 12-year basic education program, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition  enthusiastically welcomed the approval of the kindergarten bill which was signed by President Aquino into law last January 20.

“This is the most rational and essential part of the so-called K-12 program of the DepEd. The Filipino children badly need an accessible and quality kindergarten education to higher levels of learning,” TDC national chairman Benjo Basas said.

The TDC has been lobbying for a free and universal pre-school education which would eventually resolve learning discrepancies and would increase the school performance of learners especially in the elementary level. This is one of the items in their 10-point Teachers’Dignity Agenda that was presented to the President and Congress in 2010.

Republic Act 10157 “An Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education into the Basic Education system and Appropriating Funds Therefore” provides for a free and compulsory kindergarten education beginning school year 2012-2013. The DepEd in fact started the program this year with the introduction of free kindergarten program amid criticisms from the teachers’ groups, especially on the compensation for kinder teachers.

“The unfair and unacceptable terms of service and an honorarium of P3, 000.00 per month, which is only equal to that of a household helper are serious threats to the dignity of our teachers.” Basas lamented,  pointing out that the honorarium was always delayed for at least five months.

However, TDC anticipates better treatment for kinder teachers once the law takes  effect. “We hope that by this law, kinder teachers will be properly compensated and thus boost the quality of early childhood education,” Basas further.

The group reminded the DepEd and the national government anew to put in paramount consideration the welfare of teachers and the quality of education.

“The system would need specially trained pre-school teachers with acceptable terms of service and proper compensation in order to implement the program,” Basas reiterated.

The DepEd estimated that around 27,000 new teaching items are needed for the kindergarten system for this current school year, entailing  some P5.7-billion funding for salaries. However, only P2 billion was set aside for the universal kindergarten program and only 3,000 kinder teachers are holding permanent items.

“We need a strong early childhood and elementary education if we are sincere enough to implement the ambitious K-12 program.” Basas continued.

He challenged President Aquino to make the education sector a priority of his administration. “This is his flagship program for the education sector; he should be giving more attention and funds to this.”

He stressed: “ Again, we believe that while the government is not working sincerely to resolve the perennial problems of the education sector, especially the resource shortages, 12-year basic education will only worsen the condition of the public school system.”