DepEd asked schools to ensure their grounds, classrooms and all walls and other school facilities are "clean and free from unnecessary artwork, decorations, tarpaulin and posters at all times.”
Schools were also told that “oversized signages with commercial advertisements, words of sponsorships and/or endorsements or announcements of any kind or nature" should be taken down.
DepEd also asked schools to ensure that “classroom walls shall remain bare and devoid of posters, decorations or other posted materials.”
“Classrooms should not be used to stockpile materials and should be clear of other unused items or items for disposal,” according to DepEd.
DepEd’s 'declutter' order to schools draws mixed reactions from netizens
Aug 19, 2023 02:44 PM
At a glance
The Department of Education (DepEd) has been trending on X, formerly Twitter, following the “declutter” order issued by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to schools weeks before the opening of classes for the incoming school year.
DepEd formally wrapped up its National Schools Maintenance Week or the 2023 Brigada Eskwela (BE) on Saturday, Aug. 19.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/4/dep-ed-to-hold-2023-brigada-eskwela-from-aug-14-to-19
The Brigada Eskwela is an annual initiative of DepEd that calls for the “engagement and collaboration” of various personnel and stakeholders to ensure school readiness at the opening of classes.
Unlike in previous years, DepEd made the Brigada Eskwela “simpler” this year by doing away with the competition among the best BE-implementing schools.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/7/dep-ed-reverts-to-simpler-brigada-eskwela-this-year
In the implementing guidelines issued for the conduct of 2023 BE contained in DepEd Order No. 21 s. of 2023, the agency highlighted the “maintenance of clean schools.”
Signed by Duterte, the DO instructed schools to ensure that “school grounds, classrooms and all its walls and other school facilities are clean and free from unnecessary artwork, decorations, tarpaulin and posters at all times.”
DepEd, in the same guidelines, told the schools that “oversized signages with commercial advertisements, words of sponsorships and/or endorsements or announcements of any kind or nature shall be taken down.”
Likewise, DepEd explicitly ordered its local officials, including public elementary and secondary school heads, to ensure that “classroom walls shall remain bare and devoid of posters, decorations or other posted materials.”
“Classrooms should not be used to stockpile materials and should be clear of other unused items or items for disposal,” the DepEd Order read.
In a Facebook post on Aug. 17, Duterte reiterated the reminder to “declutter” schools after leading BE activities at the Vicente Duterte Elementary School in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/17/vp-duterte-reminds-schools-remove-classroom-distractions
Removing these “clutters,” Duterte said, will help children focus more on the lessons because there will be fewer distractions inside the classrooms.
To comply with the issuance, some teachers --- during the BE week --- had to remove wall decorations in classrooms such as posters, artworks, and other decorations deemed “unnecessary” by the DepEd.
Mixed reactions
While Duterte noted that walls without unnecessary distractions would help learners to focus better, the directive drew mixed reactions from various stakeholders --- including netizens.
On X, educator David Michael San Juan using the handle @dmmsanjuan called the directive “wrong policy” noting that wall decorations also serve as instructional materials and are used by teachers to supplement their lessons.
Here are some posts questioning DepEd’s recent directive and pointing out the advantages of putting posters and educational materials on classroom walls.
@MaamSyj said: “Hope somebody would help the DepEd Secretary distinguish between decors and learning aids. Ito namang schools di man lang kinontest. Sumunod agad."
For @iamjmcuevas, the DepEd Secretary “doesn’t even know the main purpose of these visual aids aside from it’s being used as display in the classroom. How can she command the teachers to remove these things, without consulting to the professionals. Mana sa tatay, paladesisyon.”
@MekanikongMulat added: “Aside from visual learning. The classroom feels more conducive to learning with those colorful stuffs on the wall (poems, quotes, charts, etc.). Now classrooms will feel dull and lifeless. Seems students are going inside prison cells to attend their classes.”
While the majority raised concerns about Duterte’s directive, some netizens supported the decision of DepEd to "declutter" the classrooms.
@allanjacob_mt agreed, saying: "This is right. Too much clutter can distract students who may already be bored being in a seat practically the whole day."
@anathemacrapola said: "At this point, kahit magpapako sa krus si Sara [Duterte] para iligtas tayong lahat, may masisilip pa rin mga gigil."
@pusanggala007 said: "Common sense lang naman. No decoration, no distraction, mas may focus yung bata. Lahat na lang kasi pinopolitika."
As of press time, DepEd has yet to issue an official statement or clarification regarding this matter.
During the 2023 BE national kick-off on Aug. 7 in Tarlac, Duterte told reporters in an ambush interview that schools should be “clean” when classes start.
“Ang gusto lang natin makita sa ating mga paaralan (What we want to see in our schools is that [they] are )functional, clean, and orderly,” Duterte said. “Ibig sabihin lahat ng kalat sa (It means all the clutter in the) classroom, sa loob ng eskwelahan (inside the school), linisin (should be cleaned),” she added.
In a presser for the national BE kick-off, DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Michael Poa said: “We want to declutter our classrooms [and] we just want to make sure their classrooms are clean, neat and orderly for the coming school year.”
Classes in public schools will start on Aug. 29.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/3/classes-in-public-schools-for-sy-2023-2024-to-start-on-aug-29-dep-ed
Based on its projections, DepEd said 28 million learners were expected to enroll for School Year (SY) 2023-2024.
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