By Renester P. Suralta
Filipino educators are a versatile and highly sought-after group of professionals with unique qualities. They can handle not only teaching responsibilities but also clerical and administrative duties such as counseling, nursing, property management, library services, nutrition, payroll, campus security and administration.
However, many teachers who have taken on these additional duties without proper training have found that the stress and pressure associated with them are not worth the pay, leading to a significant exodus of teachers.
To address this issue, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte released DepEd Order 2 Series 2024, entitled Immediate Removal of Administrative Tasks of Public School Teachers. This directive aims to create a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning by removing these additional administrative tasks from teachers’ workloads.
Most teachers are pleased and relieved about this directive, as they have been overwhelmed with teaching responsibilities. The minority of teachers who view these tasks as part of their teaching-learning experience are silent.
However, the burden of these tasks has now shifted to school heads, who must perform multiple functions in addition to being instructional leaders and administrative managers. Furthermore, this removal also means hiring additional school employees such as administrative assistants and administrative officers in respective schools.
The division offices have implemented a new mandate that is expected to bring a workload reduction to many teachers. This will enable them to focus their attention and energy more effectively on their teaching responsibilities. The overriding objective of this directive is to raise the standard of education across the nation, and we are deeply committed to its success.