The Alliance of Concerned Teachers today criticized Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address for failing to tackle the education crisis and the urgent demands of teachers for better salaries and benefits.

“Pres. Arroyo confirmed once again that the SONA is indeed the magic portal to an enchanted kingdom. Listening to yesterday’s speech will leave you with the impression that it’s all business as usual in the education sector. Mrs. Arroyo has chosen to turn a blind eye to the worsening education crisis and a deaf ear to the teachers’ clamor for better pay in the face of dire economic conditions,” said ACT chairperson Antonio Tinio.

“Mrs. Arroyo made no mention whatsoever of the single most alarming development in basic education under her term—the huge decline in participation rates among school-age children,” said Tinio. “More than 3 million children between the ages of 6 and 15 are now out of school. What is her administration going to do about it? Judging from her SONA—nothing, other than hand out a few scholarships.”

Tinio noted numerous flaws and limitations in the government’s system of vouchers and subsidies, which Arroyo referred to in her speech. “First of all, they are only available for high school, there’s no equivalent for elementary. Second, they are limited in scale, only a couple of hundred thousand are able to benefit compared to the millions that need assistance. Third, lower-middle class students of private high schools are the main beneficiaries, not the poor who are dropping out.”

Tinio pointed out that the rise in school drop-outs have occurred in the same period as the increase in the number of people officially classified as poor.  According to the National Statistics Coordination Board, the number of people living in poverty rose by 2.9% from 2003 to 2006. “The higher cost of living, aggravated by higher taxes due to the Reformed VAT, have dragged down more people into poverty and pushed more children out of school. These figures demolish Mrs. Arroyo’s absurd contention that her administration’s centerpiece RVAT primarily benefits the poor.”

The ACT chairperson scoffed at Mrs. Arroyo’s expression of caring for the plight of teachers in her SONA (“I care for our teachers who gave the greatest gift we ever received – a good education – still trying to pass on the same gift to succeeding generations.”) “If she truly cares, then why has she totally ignored our demand for a P9,000 increase that will give teachers decent salaries and restore the status of the teaching profession? It seems that she cares more for military and police personnel, to whom her administration has granted substantial hikes in pay and benefits over the years.”

ACT likewise reacted negatively to Mrs. Arroyo’s announcement of a National Social Welfare Program, bringing together the programs and services offered by the DSWD, DOH, SSS, and GSIS. “This sounds like a cruel joke to public school teachers, professors and non-teaching staff of state universities and colleges, and other government employees, who for years have been deprived of the rightful enjoyment of their GSIS benefits due to the unjust policies implemented by Winston Garcia,” said Tinio. “Instead of acting on the widespread clamor from GSIS members to fire Garcia and throw out his so-called premium-based policy and other onerous policies, she has coddled Garcia and encouraged him to use our funds for ill-advised corporate raiding in behalf of Malacañang’s cronies.”