The Department of Education (DepEd) has mandated the immediate removal of administrative duties for public school teachers to enhance their focus on teaching.
In the recently released Department Order No. 002 on Friday, the agency emphasized its commitment to relieving teachers of additional tasks to prioritize the teaching-learning process.
The order aims to free teachers from administrative responsibilities, allowing them to dedicate more time to actual classroom instruction. By concentrating on teaching and learning, the goal is to transform teachers into more effective facilitators of education, as stated in the order. The directive will come into effect immediately upon approval, issuance, and publication on the official DepEd website.
“Through this Order, the Department aims to remove the administrative tasks of teachers to enable them to maximize their time in actual classroom teaching. With this endeavor, they shall be able to focus on the teaching and learning process and become effective facilitators of learning,” the order stated.
Among the tasks being removed from teachers are personnel administration, property/physical facilities custodianship, general administrative support, financial management, records management, and program management. The sole responsibility for these tasks will now fall on school heads and non-teaching personnel.
DepEd mentioned that Schools Division Offices (SDO) have the option to consolidate non-teaching personnel or hire individuals under a Contract of Service (COS) or Job Order (JO) to meet the requirements for non-teaching personnel.
This decision to alleviate teachers from administrative burdens happens with Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte’s 2024 Basic Education Report, presented a day prior, where she highlighted the necessity of allowing teachers to concentrate on teaching.