The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday, March 6, announced that it will renew and hire over 7,000 administrative support personnel to alleviate the workload of public school teachers, allowing them to focus on delivering quality education.

“Our teachers belong in the classroom, not behind paperwork,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement.

“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,” he added.

Support for teachers

In line with President Marcos’ commitment to supporting teachers, DepEd will renew and hire 7,062 school-based administrative support staff under Contract of Service (CoS) across eligible public schools nationwide.

DepEd said the initiative reinforces its efforts to “remove non-teaching tasks from educators, ensuring that they can dedicate more time to lesson preparation and student engagement.”

These personnel, the agency added, will “provide clerical and administrative support to school heads, allowing teachers to focus on their core responsibility of teaching.”

DepEd explained that the policy aligns with DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024, which mandates the immediate removal of administrative tasks from public school teachers.

This is also consistent with DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, which rationalizes teachers' workloads and provides guidelines for compensating teaching overloads.

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

“Compensation will be based on the prevailing regional minimum wage, multiplied by 22 working days per month,” DepEd explained. “The contract also includes a 12.5 percent premium, which will be paid in tranches,” it added.

Renewal and hiring process

DepEd explained 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 assigned by the school head.”

Applicants must have at least a Senior High School (SHS) 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,” DepEd said.

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

“New hires will undergo a selection process, including a review of credentials and interviews conducted by school heads and SDOs,” DepEd said.

DepEd noted that Angara remains “committed to improving working conditions for teachers and ensuring efficient school operations.”

By sustaining this initiative, DepEd said it reaffirms its goal of “strengthening the education system, recognizing that teachers can best serve students when freed from administrative burdens.”