Education in Crisis: Teachers Take on the Burden
Socioeconomic Issue on Spotlight
Many children dream of becoming teachers, inspired by the mentors who shape their early years. Mai Dilapdilap was one of them. Today, she stands before her students, living the dream she once spoke of as a child.
At SSS Elementary School in the heart of Marikina City, her day begins before sunrise. By 6:00 a.m., she is already in front of her class, ready to ignite young minds. With two of her children in college and one still completing studies, her mornings are no longer filled with the chaos of childcare. Instead, they begin with a quick bite—often shared with her students during their short morning break—before another bustling day unfolds.
Motivations
Like many children, Mai once played teacher, using an imaginary chalk and board to conduct her make-believe classes. Though she earned a degree in psychology to honor her parents’ wishes, her passion for teaching never faded. The call to the teaching profession only grew stronger over time. Determined to pursue her true calling, she took education units, passed the licensure exam, and officially became a professional teacher.
A policy note from the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization - Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO-INNOTECH) highlights that teachers find their greatest satisfaction not from salaries or benefits but from the intangible rewards of the profession—the ability to influence and shape young minds.
Mai’s experience reflects this sentiment. "It’s hard to teach when you’re forced to," she says, emphasizing that for her, teaching is more than a job—it’s a responsibility and a source of fulfillment.
Respect and appreciation from the community further strengthen teachers’ dedication. Many remain in the profession despite its challenges, often drawing strength from their faith.
However, while passion keeps them going, economic concerns ultimately push some to leave. "Of course, you dream of a bigger salary, but the fulfillment you get from being in education is different," she reflects when asked if she sees herself teaching for another decade.
SEAMEO-INNOTECH’s study found that financial stability is the top reason teachers exit the profession, a trend acknowledged by the Department of Education (DepEd), which reports the annual exodus of thousands of public school teachers.
Additionally, nearly 20 percent of respondents cited heavy workloads as a major factor in reconsidering their careers.
Teaching, non-teaching, and administrative tasks
Public school teachers juggle multiple responsibilities beyond teaching, from administrative paperwork to extracurricular duties. With schools lacking sufficient non-teaching personnel, these tasks—ranging from budgeting and training to implementing government programs like feeding and deworming initiatives—fall on teachers, reducing the time they can dedicate to teaching. David et al. (2019) highlighted this issue and urged DepEd to address this gap by seeking support from the Department of Budget and Management to hire additional administrative personnel.
In 2024, DepEd ordered the removal of administrative tasks from teachers' workloads. However, concerns remain about who will take over these responsibilities, raising fears that the already short-staffed non-teaching personnel will become even more overburdened.
Beyond administrative concerns, teachers face another pressing challenge – ensuring that students are ready to learn. The reality is that hunger and poor health can make even the most well-planned lessons ineffective.
Hunger, Malnutrition, and education.
Hunger remains a major barrier to learning with malnutrition affecting children even before birth. Ulep et al. (2024) found that one in three Filipino children are stunted, underscoring the need for urgent intervention. After all, how can a child’s mind absorb lessons when the stomach is empty?
Mai recalls a student from a struggling family—one of five siblings, with unemployed parents relying on irregular income. Some days, they eat only if their grandmother provides food. One morning, the child arrived at school weak and unfocused. When asked if he was sick, he simply admitted—he was just hungry. Without proper nutrition, learning takes a backseat to survival.
To break this cycle, Ulep et al. (2024) emphasized the need for greater public investment in early childhood care and development (ECCD), including improved nutrition and primary healthcare under the Universal Health Care Act. Strengthening local ECCD programs, reassessing the effectiveness of school feeding programs, and investing in more healthcare workers to monitor maternal and child nutrition are critical steps toward ensuring that no child’s education is hindered by hunger.
Mai understands her duty—to teach, assess, and ensure her students continue learning. While she guides them in the classroom, their growth also depends on support at home. When students struggle academically, she reaches out to their parents. Some are responsive and eager to help. Others, however, have little time to engage, as missing even a day of work could mean having no food on the table.
During the pandemic, teachers didn’t just teach—they became planners, coordinators, and frontliners of the education system. Mai recalls how they mapped out where each child lived, ensuring learning modules reached every student. With no clear system in place, they relied on resourcefulness, organizing pick-ups and deliveries so no one fell behind. It wasn’t part of their job description, but for them, education couldn’t wait.
For Mai, the hardest part of being a teacher isn’t the long hours, the heavy workload, or the sacrifices—it’s the uncertainty. No matter how much effort she puts into teaching, she never truly knows if her students will make it. Their performance in school is one thing, but life outside the classroom is another.
She has seen students full of potential suddenly dropping out of school, forced to stop because of financial struggles or family expectations. She remembers caring for a student from Grade 3, only to learn that by Grade 6, he had dropped out—his dreams set aside because his parents couldn’t afford to let him continue.
As teachers, they do their best, but some battles are beyond their control. Yet like Mai, many carry this weight, not because it is easy, but because they refuse to give up on their students.
Long before we believed in ourselves, teachers believed in us. If we truly value education, we must push for reforms that uplift and support those who make learning possible and break the cycle of systemic challenges that hinder learning.
For those interested in further exploring the challenges and motivations of teachers in the Philippines, SERP-P offers valuable resources on the education system:
