BIÑAN, Laguna Rep. Marlyn Alonte has filed a measure setting minimum standards on administrative professionals and personnel of all basic education schools nationwide.

In her House Bill 9914 or the proposed Professional Administration and Operation of Schools Act, Alonte said most basic education schools in the country have a chronic lack of non-teaching personnel considering the 27 million student population nationwide.

“On administrative work and other non-teaching responsibilities, the principal/ head teacher / teacher-in-charge quite often delegates to already overworked, overburdened, and underpaid school teachers,” Alonte said in her explanatory note.

She further said that the time has come for the beginning of the end of the administrative work overload of teachers so they can focus on teaching, professional advancement, and work-life balance.

The bill provides that the appropriate and qualified administrative personnel shall be responsible for the performance and discharge of non-classroom teaching functions and roles on campus.

The measure also proposed new and different sets of basic complements of administrative personnel under the principal/ head teacher / teacher-in-charge.

Manpower complements are configured according to student population: small schools – under 1,000; medium-sized schools – 1,000 to 2,000; large schools – 2,001 to 2,999; and mega schools – 3,000 and higher.

Based on the bill, the school head is authorized to hire as many job orders, contract of services personnel, and casual personnel as may be deemed necessary, subject to the availability of funds.