A TEACHERS group welcomed the approval of the kindergarten bill signed into law by President Aquino.

However, the group remains opposed to the 12-year basic education program.

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition said that the law is the most rational and essential part of the K-12 program of the DepEd.

TDC national chair Benjo Basas said that Filipino children badly need an accessible and quality kindergarten education to higher levels of learning.

The TDC has been lobbying for a free and universal pre-school education which will eventually resolve learning discrepancies and will increase the school performance of learners in elementary level.

This is one of the items in their 10-point Teachers’ Dignity Agenda that was presented to Aquino and the legislature in 2010.

Republic Act (RA) 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 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 said.

He lamented that the honorarium is always delayed for at least five months.

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

The group reminded the DepEd and the national government 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 kindergarten system for this school year, which costs around P5.7B funding for salaries.    

Only P2 billion was set aside for the universal kindergarten program and only 3000 kinder teachers are holding permanent items.