From 15 days, the vacation service credits (VSCs) of public school teachers have been increased to 30 days based on new guidelines issued by the Department of Education (DepEd).

In a statement issued on Friday, Sept. 27, the agency announced that DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara signed DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2024, which doubled the VSCs for teachers in public schools.

“These updated guidelines streamline the administration of VSCs, allowing teachers to offset absences due to illness or personal reasons, or to recover salary deductions during vacation periods,” DepEd said.

DepEd noted that the revised order “now entitles incumbent teachers with at least one year of service, as well as newly hired teachers appointed within four months after the start of classes, to 30 days of VSCs annually.”

Additionally, DepEd stated that newly hired teachers whose appointments are issued four months after the start of classes will also receive 45 days of VSCs per year.

“One notable improvement is the provision for calculating service credits beyond regular work hours,” DepEd said.

DepEd explained that for every hour of eligible service rendered during school days, “teachers will now earn 1.25 hours of VSC.”

“If the service is rendered during Christmas or summer breaks, weekends, or holidays, this will be equivalent to 1.5 hours of VSC per hour,” DepEd added.

Moreover, DepEd noted that teachers assigned to perform ancillary tasks or additional teaching-related duties outside their regular hours “will also benefit” from the new guidelines.

“These tasks include attending training sessions on weekends or holidays, conducting remedial or enhancement classes, election-related duties, parent-teacher conferences, and home visits,” DepEd said.

“In cases where teaching overload is not compensated through overload pay, teachers will be credited with 1.25 hours of VSC for every hour of additional teaching, on top of their 30-day entitlement,” DepEd added.

DepEd noted that the approval of VSCs will “require authorization” from the Schools Division Superintendent or another designated authority.

DepEd highlighted that the new guidelines reflect its “commitment to addressing the evolving demands on teachers and ensuring they are properly compensated for additional work, particularly during periods like summer or long vacations.”

This move, DepEd added, also aims to “safeguard teachers’ net take-home pay by recognizing their participation in DepEd-led activities at the national, regional, and division levels, alongside its partners and stakeholders.”