Teachers welcome cut in work hours

With her work set at six hours, Pardo Elementary School teacher Yna dela Rosa can now spend more time with her family.

Dela Rosa, who is handling Grade Six class, said that the recent order of the Department of Education has given them enough rest and time for their family.

Teachers in Central Visayas will now be working for six hours from their usual eight-hour work routine after DepEd implemented the recent ruling of the Civil Service Commission.

Dela Rosa said that the recent order does not affect the usual routine because they are actually teaching for six hours while two hours is for making visual aids and checking papers.

DepEd regional director Carolino Mordeno said the guidelines were in accordance with Section 13 of Republic Act 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.

Mordeno said that teachers are still be required to have regular eight-hour workdays, with the remaining two hours to be used for other “teacher-related activities and duties” like preparing lesson plans and instruction materials.

However, unlike before when teachers had to spend the full eight hours in school, they could now opt to leave the campus after rendering six hours of actual classroom teaching.

Mordeno said teachers have the choice to accomplish the remaining two hours of their work elsewhere.

He added that teachers would be paid overtime if they would perform the extra hours of work within the school premises.

He added that this will not affect the number of hours in teaching because under RA 4670, teachers are to spend less than six hours inside the classroom.  – Jasmin R. Uy/BRP