The People’s Education Commission (PEdCom) said that the 30,000 additional personnel that the Department of Education (DepEd) plans to hire “will not be enough to make teachers’ jobs easier.”
PEdCOm, an educators’ group, said the country’s education system has been suffering from “worsening neglect” that leaves teachers overworked and forced to teach in cramped classrooms.
“The absence of sufficient support personnel has resulted in massive workloads for teachers. Despite their dedication, the sheer numbers make it challenging for educators to provide quality education,” Dr. David Michael San Juan, PEdCom lead convenor, said in a statement.
DepEd has said it is going to add 20,000 teaching personnel and 10,000 education support personnel.
It has also announced that teachers will no longer need to do administrative work, a policy move meant to help them focus on teaching.
But PEdCom said the number of new hires “falls short of the sector’s actual requirements, leaving teachers overworked and undersupported.”
Earlier, the DepEd released an order that calls for the immediate removal of administrative tasks from public school teachers in line with its MATATAG agenda.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte signed the two-page department order underscoring DepEd’s commitment to “enhancing the delivery of quality basic education while promoting teacher quality and teacher welfare.”
It was addressed to all undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, bureau and service directors, regional directors, schools division superintendents, public and private elementary and secondary school heads and teachers, and other concerned stakeholders.
DepEd said the order is guided by agency directions to remove the nonteaching tasks of teachers as a way of supporting them to teach better.
“This is geared toward building a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning to thrive,” it added.
The order took effect immediately upon its release to the public. It came after Duterte delivered her Basic Education Report (BER) on Thursday, Jan. 25, when she announced DepEd’s plan to pilot-test the revised K-to-10 basic education curriculum in 35 public schools.
MATATAG aims to make school curricula relevant to produce competent, job-ready, active and responsible citizens; take steps to accelerate delivery of basic education facilities and services; take good care of students by promoting their well-being, inclusive education, and positive learning environment; and give support to teachers, so they can teach better.
