Pay disparities widen across education levels, data show

MANILA, Philippines — As National Teachers’ Month comes to a close with the celebration of National Teachers’ Day on Oct. 5, an analyst said “we must recognize that educators teaching our children’s first lessons are arguably doing the most economically consequential work of all.”

Dr. Alicor Panao, a data scientist for the Inquirer, pointed this out as he shared data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing that each education establishment employed an average of 35 workers and paid an average annual compensation of P316,184 for every paid employee.

While he clarified that the data does not pertain to teacher salaries by school level and covers paid employees across the broader education industry, figures in the 2024 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry showed substantial differences across education segments.

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Preschool establishments recorded an average annual compensation of P172,631 per paid employee, while primary education establishments posted P187,872. The figure rose to P277,061 for secondary education and P382,105 for higher education, more than twice that of primary education establishments.

Panao, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines, said educational support services, which cover educational consulting, guidance and counseling, testing and evaluation, and other related activities rather than conventional classroom teaching, recorded the highest average compensation at P451,124.

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Panao said differences also emerged in the average size of establishments. Higher education establishments employed an average of 105 workers, compared with 18 workers in primary education and 10 in preschool, a “pattern that is difficult to overlook.”

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“Universities generate substantial revenue through tuition, professional programs, and research. Primary schools, particularly in marginalized communities, lack these income streams,” he said, stressing that “the pay gap reflects the financial structure of the education sector as much as the perceived value of the teaching itself.”

Panao said “the earliest years of schooling forge the foundational reading and numeracy skills essential for all future learning.” While the data does not elaborate on government budget allocations, he said it hints at where financial pressures are most acute.

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“Students who fall behind in primary school carry these deficits into higher education and the labor market. For children from low-income households, lacking private resources to bridge the gap, this disadvantage is severely magnified,” he said.

He pointed out that “if the free market naturally allows universities to pay more, the government must intervene to ensure the foundation of our education system does not become its most financially vulnerable pillar.” /dm