A better NACITEA?

THIS morning, I had the chance to sit in a meeting between Mayor Robredo and the newly elected officials of the Naga City Teachers and Employees Association (NACITEA). It gave me a reason to be hopeful that ordinary teachers will finally have a voice in the School Board.

You see, Nydia Sol, the new NACITEA president, comes from the ranks of teachers in the city. So are her two colleagues (whose names unfortunately eluded me) who accompanied her in this morning's courtesy call. A number of things were discussed in that meeting, of which I am not at liberty to disclose. Not just yet since Ms. Sol and company will only assume office next month -- in time for NACITEA's golden anniversary.

But much is clear, as Mayor Robredo said: That we need to do more for the public school teachers need not be debated anymore; it's already a question of how.

But boy, am I glad with the outcome of the recent NACITEA election, which is tabled as "other matters" in the School Board agenda on Thursday, November 9. It did not require an amendment of its by-laws, as I proposed here. And yet against all odds, the rank-and-file of Naga public school teachers have spoken clearly (only one candidate from the Division Office-endorsed ticket managed to squeeze through): they need a voice of their own. And I hope Ms. Sol and company will give them that, and live up to their expectations.