Angara to strictly implement 6-hour teaching policy

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara has assured teachers that the Department of Education (DepEd) will oversee the strict implementation of the six-hour maximum teaching period per day as mandated under Republic Act 4670 or the Magna Carta of Public School Teachers, amid complains of teaching overload under the MATATAG curriculum.

“Yes, we are listening to them (teachers) and we are looking into it. Supposedly, the actual teaching hours should not go beyond six hours, but from what we are hearing, there are some that would have to teach beyond six hours,” Angara said on the sidelines of a MOA-signing event with Khan Academy Philippines Inc. (Khan PH) at the DepEd central office in Pasig City on Friday.

“We really need to be very strict about that (six-hour teaching policy) so that our teachers won’t get overworked and burned out,” Angara added.

He admitted that the DepEd has also been receiving reports that some teachers are being forced to teach subjects beyond their expertise.

“Based on the few situations on the ground, we really have to correct that, because sometimes the load of the teachers does not match their subject of expertise,” he added.

Furthermore, Angara said that aside from the 5,000 administrative staff set to be hired this year, the DepEd has requested from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) additional funding for the hiring of 10,000 more, to ensure that teachers will not be burdened with administrative tasks.

“I think we asked for 10,000 more from the DBM. They gave us 5,000 for this year. But that will not be enough, not all schools will be given (administrative staff). There are clusters of three schools to one administrative officer, which is difficult,” Angara said.

Teachers group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) had earlier lamented that the MATATAG curriculum is expected to increase teachers’ workload by 30 percent or from six teaching loads per teacher to eight teaching loads per teacher.

“This means more students and classes to focus on, more outputs to check and more grades to compute. Also, there are extended class hours for children, which may last until 8 p.m. or later in some schools. This gambles with the well-being and safety of our students,” the ACT said in an earlier statement.

In a separate statement on Thursday, the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) raised concerns regarding the implementation of DepEd Order (DO) No. 5, s. 2024, issued by former education secretary and incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte, concerning the teachers’ workload in relation to the implementation of MATATAG curriculum.

TDC chairman Benjo Basas said the DepEd order, “Rationalization of Teachers’ Workload in Public Schools and Payment of Teaching Overload,” contravened the intent of the Magna Carta of Public School Teachers which is to limit to six hours the actual time that teachers spend in school.

Under DO 5, teachers are required to render six hours of actual classroom teaching and two hours allocated for teacher ancillary tasks which may be spent within or outside school premises.

Basas said the Magna Carta of Public School Teachers “does not require the full six hours for actual teaching and has since allowed teachers to teach for less than six hours, have breaks in between classes and to go home after spending six hours in school.”

“The requirement to render six hours of actual classroom teaching is being overstretched, with some teachers handling 7-8 sections without breaks, neglecting their physical, mental and emotional well-being,” Basas said.

“Additional teaching loads from different grade levels are being assigned to teachers to meet the so-called six-hour requirement. Some teachers are at risk of being declared excess and transferred to other schools, violating Section 6 of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers,” he added.

Launched in August 2023, the revised, enhanced basic education curriculum, also referred to as the MATATAG curriculum, is set for nationwide implementation in phases, although 35 selected schools from seven regions already had their pilot implementation in School Year 2023-2024.

For Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4 and 7, the nationwide implementation is this SY 2024-2025; for Grades 2, 5 and 8 in SY 2025-2026; for Grades 3, 6 and 9 in SY 2026-2027 and for Grade 10 in 2027-2028.

Meanwhile, the revision of the curriculum for Grades 11 and 12 or senior high school, is set to be done by the end of 2024.

Last July 26, Angara signed Memorandum No. 037 series of 2024, creating a task force that will review the implementation of the DepEd’s Results-Based Performance Management System policy as well as the workload and other reportorial requirements for public school teachers.