MANILA, Philippines – With the full support of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the Department of Education (DepEd) is set to streamline school forms and reports to significantly ease the administrative burden on public school teachers, allowing them to focus on improving student learning outcomes.
The new DepEd policy will mark an approximately 57% reduction from the total of 174 school forms previously required from teachers. Under this policy, 5 forms will be regularly completed by all teachers.
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| DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara. Photo courtesy: Facebook/DepEd Philippines |
However, teachers may also accomplish 31 forms for teacher ancillary tasks and 39 forms for teaching related assignments, which may vary depending on the agreed designations of teachers by virtue of their rationalized workload under DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024.
This initiative aligns with the Marcos administration’s broader education reform agenda, which aims to enhance the efficiency of the public school system while addressing the long-standing concerns of overworked teachers.
“Teachers have long raised concerns about excessive paperwork, and this policy directly responds to that. Reducing their bureaucratic workload will not only improve their well-being but also enhance the quality of instruction they provide to our learners,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
DepEd is set to issue a formal department order to implement the new guidelines, accompanied by nationwide orientation sessions to ensure smooth execution at the school level.
A study conducted by DepEd’s Technical Working Group (TWG) on school forms, established during Sec. Angara’s leadership, revealed that teachers spend excessive hours on non-teaching tasks.
An IDInsight study found that 42% of teachers work more than 50 hours per week, dedicating an average of 17.8 hours to ancillary duties and 8.1 hours to program-related tasks. Much of this time is spent on filling out school forms and reports, significantly reducing the time available for lesson planning, student engagement, and instructional activities.
In our continuous effort to establish a more efficient reporting system, DepEd shall create a Data Management framework which shall set the standard parameters for data collection in all schools. This effort shall eliminate redundant and outdated documentation requirements while ensuring essential school management information is accurately recorded.
The Department will also launch advocacy campaigns to raise awareness about the reforms and engage education stakeholders in improving teacher working conditions.
— The Summit Express
