DepEd seeks to hire 5K admin personnel

The Department of Education (DepEd) wants to hire at least 5,000 personnel to help unburden the teachers with the administrative tasks they are currently doing.

"Based on studies, it seems that there are at least 50 admin tasks that are currently being done by teachers so it takes their time away from classroom teaching," said Pasig Representative Roman Romulo, head of the House committee on basic education on a "24 Oras" report by Tina Panganiban-Perez.

The proposal to hire the personnel in 2024 will be submitted to the Department of Budget and Management.  For 2025, an additional 20,000 are targeted to be hired, which will be incorporated in the department's proposed budget.

"After ng klase nila, after ng klase namin, for example, tumutulong kami doon sa paggawa ng mga reports (After our class, we help prepare the reports)," Roel Mape of the Alliance for Concerned teachers, said.

DepEd director Mario Bermudez said the department will be releasing "another policy on the rationalization of teachers' workload" which states the functions that will be retained with the teachers.

"If this is for the teachers, then they will be granted overload pay," he said.

The DepEd Order 005 (series of 2024) states that teachers are required to render only at least six teaching hours of work a day. Two hours will be allocated to their other teaching-related tasks such as preparation for the next day's lessons.

The teachers will be given vacation service credits for work rendered more than these two hours.

DepEd recently announced that for the school year 2024-2025, the first day of classes will be on July 29 and the last day will be on May 16.

ACT Teacher party-list has raised an alarm that with this schedule, the teachers' elections duty for the May 12, 2025 polls will coincide with the preparations for graduation.

"Dapat mauna 'yung graduation and 'yung mga end-year activities bago magkaroon ng election," Act Teachers Rep. France Castro said.

The Teachers Dignity Coalition proposed that graduation ceremonies can be held on April 11, 2025. —LDF, GMA Integrated News