The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture is questioning the Department of Education (DepEd) about the long teaching hours teachers are facing. Pasig Representative Roman Romulo, who is also the chairman of the committee, has raised concerns about why Department Order No. 5 is not being properly implemented for teachers.

Department Order No. 5

According to Department Order No. 5, teachers are only supposed to spend six hours on actual teaching. The remaining two hours of their workday should be used for administrative tasks or preparing lesson plans. This order is meant to ensure that teachers have enough time to manage their workload without being overburdened.

Current Situation

Representative Romulo pointed out that many schools now have students attending classes in two shifts, which means some teachers have to teach in both the morning and afternoon. This results in teachers working more than the recommended six hours, with some teaching for nearly eight hours a day. This extended teaching time can be physically and mentally exhausting for teachers, affecting the quality of education they provide.

Concerns and Plans

The committee is concerned that this system is draining teachers’ energy and impacting their ability to teach effectively. To address these issues, the committee has asked DepEd to review the current system and revise it. They want to know what DepEd plans to do to ensure that teachers’ workloads are manageable and that the quality of education is not compromised.

Conclusion

The review aims to improve teachers’ working conditions and ensure that they can focus on providing quality education without being overwhelmed by excessive teaching hours. This initiative underscores the importance of supporting teachers so they can deliver the best possible education to students.