Wazzup Pilipinas!?
In a decisive move to enhance the quality of education, the Department of Education (DepEd) of the Philippines, under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has announced the renewal and hiring of 7,062 school-based Administrative Support Staff under Contract of Service (CoS) across eligible public schools nationwide. This initiative aims to alleviate the administrative burdens on teachers, allowing them to focus more on classroom instruction and student engagement.
Empowering Teachers Through Administrative Support
Recognizing that teachers often juggle instructional duties alongside numerous administrative tasks, DepEd's initiative seeks to reassign these non-teaching responsibilities to dedicated support staff. Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized, "Our teachers belong in the classroom, not behind paperwork. By ensuring that every school has the necessary support staff, we are taking a concrete step toward making the learning environment more focused, effective, and responsive to the needs of our students."
Policy Framework and Implementation
This move aligns with DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024, which mandates the immediate removal of administrative tasks from public school teachers, and DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, which rationalizes teachers' workload and provides guidelines for compensating teaching overload. The newly hired CoS personnel will assist with various school operations, including preparing reports, coordinating programs, and handling other clerical tasks assigned by school heads. Applicants are required to have at least a Senior High School diploma and basic administrative skills, with no prior work experience or training necessary.
Financial Provisions
To support this initiative, DepEd has allocated additional Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds to cover the salaries of these personnel. Compensation will be based on the prevailing regional minimum wage, multiplied by 22 working days per month, with a 12.5% premium paid in tranches.
A Continuation of Previous Efforts
This recent initiative builds upon previous efforts to reduce teachers' administrative workload. In September 2023, DepEd created 5,000 non-teaching positions, consisting of 3,500 administrative officer II and 1,500 project development officer I roles, to alleviate the administrative burden on public school teachers.
Furthermore, in August 2024, DepEd announced plans to increase the number of administrative staff to further ease the non-teaching workload of public school teachers, following the official opening of the school year 2024-2025.
Global Perspectives
The Philippines is not alone in recognizing the importance of reducing teachers' administrative workloads. For instance, in New South Wales, Australia, a program was extended in October 2024 to provide extra administrative support to public schools. This initiative, backed by a $47 million investment, aimed to alleviate teacher workloads by hiring additional School Administrative and Support Staff (SASS), expanding the program to 700 more schools by 2026. The program allowed teachers to focus more on classroom activities by transferring tasks like managing excursions, digitizing records, and handling student absences to administrative staff.
Looking Ahead
By sustaining and expanding the hiring of administrative support staff, DepEd reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the education system. This initiative not only enhances the working conditions for teachers but also ensures that students receive focused and effective instruction, thereby improving the overall quality of education in the Philippines.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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