A group of education workers called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide “clear and definite plans” on how it will lessen the administrative loads and tasks currently handled by classroom teachers.
Teachers paint school chairs before school opening as part of DepEd's 'Brigada Eskwela' program. (NOEL PABALATE / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Paulit-ulit nang nababanggit itong mga ganitong plano na papagaanin ang admin load ng mga guro pero hanggang ngayon ay wala paring malinaw na mekanismo kung paano nila ito gagawin (Plans that will lighten the admin load of teachers have been mentioned time and time again, but until now there is still no clear mechanism on how they will do it),” ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.
“Wala parin kami nakikitang sapat na bilang ng mga education support personnel sa mga eskwelahan (We still don't see enough education support personnel in schools),” he added.
Last week, DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Michael Poa said the guidelines to reduce teachers’ administrative tasks would be issued “in a few weeks' time.”
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Reacting to DepEd’s statement, ACT said that teachers need “concrete plans” and not just “mere pronouncements.”
ACT said that public school teachers continue to get to do administrative duties despite the school break which started in July.
While their students are on vacation, ACT said that teachers still have to deal with reports and paperwork being required by DepEd.
Aside from working on their Individual Performance Commitment and Review Forms (IPCRF) and managing school enrollment, ACT said that some teachers are also asked to participate in the National Learning Camp (NLC) even if this is voluntary.
“Hanggang ngayon nasa paaaralan pa rin ang mga teachers imbis na sana nagpapahinga na at nagbabakasyon matapos ang halos isang taon na pagtuturo (Until now, the teachers are still at school instead of resting and going on vacation after almost a year of teaching),” Quetua said.
For ACT, the “concrete” expression of unloading teachers from admin work is hiring additional education support personnel and teachers, lessening teaching hours, and provision of sufficient functional equipment.
“We demand a clear and concrete plan from the government,” Quetua said. “We were not impressed with this another promise of giving support to teachers as we have not seen any progress since the Marcos-Duterte administration started,” he added.