Manila: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has expressed strong support for the Department of Education's (DepEd) initiative to renew and hire over 7,000 administrative support staff, aimed to reduce the non-teaching workload of public school teachers. He emphasized the importance of this move in allowing teachers to focus more on instructional tasks.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Second Congressional Commission on Education found that public school teachers manage over 50 non-teaching and ancillary tasks. This situation has significantly impacted their ability to concentrate on teaching. Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, noted in a statement that the renewal and hiring of these administrative staff under the contract of service would help alleviate the burden on teachers, thereby enhancing their instructional focus.
Gatchalian also highlighted that hiring additional staff is only the initial step in a broader range of necessary reforms to effectively support public school teachers. To solidify this policy, he has filed Senate Bill No. 2493, known as the Revised Magna Carta for Public School Teachers. This proposed legislation aims to prohibit the assignment of non-teaching tasks to teachers and requires DepEd to ensure all non-teaching positions are filled.
