THE Department of Education (DepEd) has issued an order strictly limiting the actual classroom teaching of teachers to six hours, setting an “overload pay” for work rendered beyond the prescribed period.
The agency issued on April 29, 2024 DepEd Order 005 series of 2024 for the rationalization of teacher’s workload in public schools and payment of teaching overload.
Under the order, teachers in public schools are required to render eight hours of duty per day, in which six hours will be devoted to actual classroom teaching while the remaining two hours are for teaching-related duties, such as preparation of lesson plan and checking of test papers, among others, which may be done within or outside the school premises.
“Other teaching-related work, such as but not limited to being a school coordinator, shall be duly compensated in accordance with Section 14 of Republic Act 4670,” the order stated.
Under Section 14 of Republic Act 4670, or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, which was enacted in 1966, “any teacher engaged in actual classroom instruction shall not be required to render more than six hours of actual classroom teaching a day, which shall be so scheduled as to give him time for the preparation and correction of exercises and other work incidental to his normal teaching duties.”
The law also stated that teachers may be required to render more than six hours but not exceeding eight hours of actual classroom teaching a day upon payment of additional compensation at the same rate as his regular remuneration, plus at least 25 percent of his basic pay.
Covered by the order were teachers engaged in classroom teaching on a full-time basis, including master teachers and those under permanent, provisional or substitute status in all public elementary and secondary schools.
For teachers with advisory classes, their class advising duties will be treated as teaching load and will be equivalent to an hour per day or five hours a week, or during the prescribed time for the homeroom guidance program.
Teachers holding contractual positions funded by the local school board are not eligible to receive teaching overload pay.
The DepEd said the teachers no longer need to submit documentary evidence or accomplishment reports on how the two hours of ancillary tasks are spent outside school premises.
“As a general rule, only teachers in schools with teacher shortage based on the enhanced planning parameters are eligible for teaching overload pay,” it said in the order.
“All teachers shall render the prescribed number of actual classroom teaching hours before they may be assigned a teaching overload,” it added.
The DepEd issued the directive to “cultivate a work environment that ensures quality teaching workforce.”
“In support of this thrust, the department institutionalized the Professional Standards for teachers to guide all teachers in public schools and clearly set expectations on teacher performance, attainment of proficiency and professional development,” the agency said, adding that the holistic well-being of teachers is prioritized by ensuring fair and equitable distribution of workload.
Under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), teachers classified from Teacher I to III positions fall under Salary Grades 11, 12 and 13 and where they are entitled to receive a monthly pay of P27,000, P29,165, and P31,320, respectively.
Teachers under the Master Teacher 1 to 4 earn over P40,000 per month but not more than P63,000 depending on the salary grade.
House deputy minority leader, ACT teachers partylist Representative France Castro, welcomed the DepEd order, which she described as a “historic victory” for the country’s public school teachers.
“This is a long-overdue recognition of the overwhelming workload of our teachers, which has been a decade-long struggle for us,” she said.
“Finally, with this order, teachers will be compensated for work done over and above their regular workload beyond their regular working hours. Wala nang TY (Thank you),” she added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)