Our kids’ heroes

Teachers, well, yes — and mum and dad, too.

I gave a graduation speech at a public primary school the other day, in Talaongan-East in Cavinti, Laguna. Teachers in this country deserve medals.

These 12-year-olds are what will progress the Philippines a decade from now — or hold it back if we don’t properly look after them with well-paid, dedicated teachers and schools you can comfortably learn in. Teachers are this country’s future. I have called for a revolution in agriculture; well, here’s where another revolution is also needed. The entry-level teachers in the school I went to earn a measly P20,000 per month, not much above the minimum wage. It should be similar to that of soldiers, where an entry-level earns almost P30,000. Shouldn’t teachers be at least equal to that, or more?

The school was short of everything. The desks belonged in a landfill. If you like rust, you’d love the roofs. The teachers were proud because two of their classrooms had new tiles on the floors, though the other five didn’t—they were worn cement not fit even for a garage. They’d obviously painted what little they could, but the Department of Education (DepEd) doesn’t have a budget for paint, it seems. There were five old computers for a school with 276 children.

The electric wiring was in such an appalling shape that it sparked “sometimes.” I wonder when one of those sparks will turn into a conflagration and kill some of those kids. There was not a single fire extinguisher in the entire school. I wonder if anyone but the teachers cared. I wonder if the Bureau of Fire Protection allows this — if schools are somehow exempt from the fire safety standards the rest of us must adhere to.

Doesn’t DepEd have some rigid safety standards and a budget to fix things? There should be electricians to do the job. Education Secretary Leonor Briones might want to take immediate action by hiring a competent electrical company to replace all the substandard electrical systems in schools with new switchboards, wiring, outlets, the lot. I do not want to read a headline in this newspaper that says “26 children die in school fire,” but that is likely if this problem isn’t fixed.

They might want to put in some new toilets while they’re at it; the teachers were too ashamed to show the facilities to me. How do you keep kids healthy with poor sanitation? What sort of toilet training is a shitty toilet?

What DepEd needs are tradesmen. Maintenance is a full-time job, one that few in the Philippines care to do. Bear in mind that everything falls apart if they’re not maintained, including our bodies, too.

I’d like to see the DepEd sufficiently fund schools with everything they need and the ability to maintain them. However, I must face the reality that this is unlikely. So, here’s an idea: Call for volunteers and tradesmen who will be willing to put in time to help the schools. Electricians, carpenters, plumbers, welders — all those who could help. An obvious target would be retired skilled tradesmen with nothing to do. I’m sure they’d love to be active if they could work in their own time frame. A little stipend would be nice. Students in the trades, too, who can develop some practical skills from the theories they learn in class. Working tradesmen, meanwhile, could devote a little of their weekend to help.

As to materials, we could all help out. The junk in your house or business can become usable furniture and equipment under the hands of a skilled tradesman. I’ve done a lot of that, so I know it can be done.

Our politicians might want to think about using their pork to buy desks and chairs (without their names on them) and school supplies, because many public schools don’t have even these basic things. (Kids from a richer Makati school were to visit the next day to donate some.)

The teachers had a spirit one can only envy. They didn’t complain, they explained how they make do and improvise. Their dedication was obvious. The effort they put into making the graduation a smooth success was touching. The pride on the faces of the parents as they accompanied their offspring on stage brought tears to one’s eyes. It was obvious the teachers had done a great job.

Let’s treat teachers with the reverence they deserve.

E-mail: wallace_likeitis@wbf.ph