DepEd to hire over 7K admin support staff in public schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to renew and hire 7,062 school-based Administrative Support Staff under contract of service across eligible public schools in the country.

This initiative aims to reinforce the DepEd’s efforts to remove non-teaching tasks from educators, which will ensure that they can focus more of their time on lesson preparation as well as student engagement.

“Our teachers belong in the classroom, not behind paperwork. By ensuring that every school has the necessary support staff, we are taking a concrete step toward making the learning environment more focused, effective, and responsive to the needs of our students,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said in a press release.

These personnel will provide clerical and administrative support to school heads, which will later allow teachers to focus on their core responsibility of teaching students.

The said policy is aligned with DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024, which mandates the immediate removal of administrative tasks from public school teachers, and DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, which rationalizes teachers’ workload and provides guidelines for compensating teaching overload.

Compensation

The DepEd already allocated additional Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds to cover the salaries of these personnel.

The compensation will be based on the prevailing regional minimum wage, multiplied by 22 working days per month, the DepEd said.

The contract will also include a 12.5% premium, which will be paid in tranches.

It was indicated that under the renewal and hiring guidelines, CoS personnel will assist with school operations such as preparing reports, coordinating school programs and activities, and handling other clerical tasks that are assigned by the school head.

Applicants must have at least a Senior High School diploma and basic administrative skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office and the ability to operate office equipment.

No prior work experience or training is required, according to DepEd.

For the renewal process, incumbent CoS personnel must meet performance expectations based on their Terms of Reference and evaluation by their respective Schools Division Offices (SDOs).

On the other hand, the new hires will undergo a selection process, including a review of credentials and interviews conducted by school heads and SDOs. —Anna Felicia Bajo/ VAL, GMA Integrated News