Teachers' paperwork to be cut 57%

(UPDATE) THE Department of Education (DepEd) said on Monday it would streamline school forms and reports to ease the administrative burden of public school teachers.

DepEd said in a statement that it would issue a department order for the implementation of the new guidelines, "accompanied by nationwide orientation sessions to ensure smooth execution at the school level."

"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.

The department said the new policy "will mark an approximately 57 percent reduction from the total of 174 school forms previously required from teachers."

Under the new policy, teachers would regularly complete five forms.

"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", it said.

"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," DepEd said.

A study by the DepEd Technical Working Group on school forms showed "that teachers spend excessive hours on non-teaching tasks."

The department will create a Data Management framework which will set the standard parameters for data collection in all schools.

The framework is expected to eliminate redundant and outdated documentation requirements while ensuring that essential school management information is accurately recorded.

DepEd also said it would "launch advocacy campaigns to raise awareness about the reforms and engage education stakeholders in improving teacher working conditions."