DepEd to release guidelines for 6-hour work day for teachers on Monday

MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of public school teachers are expected to troop to the Department of Education office in Pasig City Monday to discuss with Secretary Jesli Lapus their proposed six-hour working day. Teacher’s Dignity Coalition (TDC) national chairman Benjo Basas said the discussion is likely to center on the implementing guidelines for the teachers’ work hours. “We expect Sec. Lapus to meet with us and give us the guidelines on Monday,” Basas said. Basas said they will converge in front of the DepEd office at around 1:00 p.m. Earlier, Lapus announced that a technical working group under DepEd Undersecretary for operation Ramon Bacani is drafting the guidelines which he expects to come out any time soon. He said the guidelines will hopefully address all concern on teachers working hours as interpreted by TDC and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) under the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers or Republic Act (RA) 4670. Lapus said the DepEd support the teachers’ contention that they are exempted to the eight-hour work a day requirement for government employees as provided under RA 4670. For his part, Bacani said the guidelines was supposed to be issued before the school opening but revisions were made and adopted to conform on the resolution of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on how and where the two hours will be spent. He claimed that the delay in the issuance of the guidelines was due to question raised by teachers seeking clarification on what duties are covered under the six hours work for teachers. The TDC earlier batted for the implementation of the CSC resolution which they claimed set the maximum six-hour work a day for all public school teachers pursuant to the Magna Carta for public school teachers. Basas said teachers have been looking forward for the issuance of the guidelines to avert further confusion on teachers working hours, adding that the release would be four months overdue. Basas said the CSC issued its ruling last January 28. - GMANews.TV