The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, March 17, announced a significant reform aimed at reducing teachers' administrative workload by 57%, allowing them to focus more on classroom instruction and improving student learning outcomes.
“Teachers have long raised concerns about excessive paperwork, and this policy directly responds to that,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement.
DepEd is set to streamline school forms and reports to ease the administrative burden on public school teachers, enabling them to dedicate more time to teaching.
The new policy will reduce the total number of required school forms from 174 to approximately 57 percent. Under this policy, teachers will regularly complete only five forms, according to DepEd.
“Reducing their bureaucratic workload will not only improve their well-being but also enhance the quality of instruction they provide to our learners,” Angara added.
However, teachers may still be required to complete up to 31 forms for ancillary tasks and 39 for teaching-related assignments, depending on their specific designations under DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024.
According to DepEd, this initiative aligns with the Marcos administration’s broader education reform agenda, which seeks to improve the efficiency of the public school system while addressing the persistent issue of teacher workload.
To implement the new guidelines, DepEd will issue a formal department order and conduct nationwide orientation sessions to ensure smooth execution at the school level.
A study by DepEd’s Technical Working Group (TWG) on school forms, established under Angara’s leadership, found that teachers spend excessive hours on non-teaching tasks.
An IDInsight study revealed that 42 percent of teachers work over 50 hours per week, with an average of 17.8 hours spent on ancillary duties and 8.1 hours on program-related tasks.
Citing the study, DepEd noted that a significant portion of this time is spent completing school forms and reports, limiting teachers' availability for lesson planning, student engagement, and instructional activities.
To improve reporting efficiency, DepEd announced the development of a Data Management Framework, which will establish standardized parameters for data collection across all schools.
“This effort will eliminate redundant and outdated documentation requirements while ensuring essential school management information is accurately recorded,” DepEd said.
Additionally, DepEd plans to launch advocacy campaigns to promote awareness of the reforms and involve education stakeholders in enhancing teacher working conditions.