The Department of Education (DepEd) said it has reduced teachers’ paperwork by 57% as part of reforms aimed at restoring classroom time and easing non-teaching burdens on educators.
In an interview with DZRH’s Special on Saturday, DepEd said the reduction covers required reports and administrative submissions, cutting “more than half” of teachers’ paperwork load.
The move is intended to allow teachers to focus on core instruction, particularly reading, writing and arithmetic.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the reforms are anchored on protecting “teaching time,” which he described as “sacred.”
“Ang puno’t dulo nitong lahat ng mga reporma is to focus on teaching time, to get back to teaching time,” Angara said.
“Sagrado ang teaching time. Ibig sabihin, yung oras ng teacher sa kanyang mga bata, sagrado ‘yon.”
Angara said administrative work, reporting requirements and other non-teaching tasks have long encroached on classroom hours. To address this, DepEd has begun hiring additional personnel, including administrative officers and project development officers, to take over duties not directly related to teaching.
These include support for government programs implemented in schools such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), feeding programs and vaccination drives—tasks that Angara said have often fallen on teachers.
“Nowadays hindi na simple ang trabaho ng teacher, they are called upon to implement with the growth of large government,” he said, noting that teachers have also been tasked to handle extracurricular activities such as 4Ps, feeding programs, and TUPAD which consumes additional time from the teachers.
Under the reform, project development officers are expected to manage school-based projects and program implementation, allowing teachers to concentrate on instruction. DepEd said hiring for these positions is ongoing.
Angara also framed the changes as a response to teachers’ well-being concerns.
“It’s a wellness issue rin for our teachers,” he said. “Let’s take care of our teachers. Let’s make sure may oras din sila.”
The department said the reduction in paperwork and the redistribution of non-teaching tasks are part of broader efforts to improve the quality of education delivery by ensuring teachers spend more time in the classroom.
