UMVA has learned that teachers’ unions gathered at Kamuning Bakery Cafe to sound an urgent alarm ahead of the June 8 kickoff of the 2026‑2027 school year.
In a fiery statement, the group revealed a staggering shortfall: 165,000 empty classrooms and a deficit of 30,000 teachers, a crisis that repeats year after year.
“Every new administration rushes out a fresh reform without consulting those on the front lines,” declared Ediesa P. Mendoza, the Central Luzon council representative, emphasizing how constant policy churn shatters continuity and long‑term planning.
While welcoming genuine improvements, the union warned that any reform must tackle the learning proficiency gap, spare teachers from added burdens, and genuinely lift education quality.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the decades‑old Magna Carta for Public Teachers (RA 4670) remains largely dormant, despite its promise to boost teachers’ welfare, secure stable employment, and align salaries with other professions.
“The law already contains the solutions; it simply needs implementation,” asserted national president Arlene James S. Pagaduan, urging policymakers to stop drafting new statutes and start enforcing existing ones.
The union also cited a recent congressional education report showing that 87 % of Grade 11 students fall below reading expectations, a fallout of the pilot Strengthened Senior High School curriculum that stripped away core subjects vital for critical thinking.
“Removing those foundational courses sacrifices students’ ability to think deeply and adapt to the labor market,” Pagaduan warned, calling for the reinstatement of essential subjects and the addition of new ones to sharpen young minds.
In a closing appeal, the organization demanded that the Department of Education and the government address the crisis at its roots, not merely parade reforms that sound appealing on paper.
“Education is a public service and the state’s primary responsibility,” affirmed public‑relations officer Mary Rose B. Caguillo, echoing the union’s call for decisive, ground‑up action.
