THE DEPARTMENT of Education will launch a “workload balancing tool” to determine how long teachers spend time teaching and the clerical jobs they do.

DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said this step was taken in response to the appeal of teachers’ groups to reduce the workload of teachers.

“We are about to launch the workload balancing tool kung saan ma-identify kung ilang oras ba ‘yung contact hours ng teachers sa classrooms at ano naman ‘yung mga hours na binubuno nila para gawing administrative tasks para we can lessen na rin ‘yung kanilang tasks,” Poa said in a press briefing on Thursday.

The workload balancing tool will be released within the year.

The Teachers Dignity Coalition and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers urged the DepEd to remind school heads of the policy on working hours, saying they continue to receive reports from the field that some teachers are required to render teaching tasks for more than six hours or stay and work in the school beyond eight hours.

TDC national chairperson Benjo Basas said that teachers are also overwhelmed by administrative tasks.

To address this problem, the DepEd has asked for additional budget to hire 10, 000 teachers in 2023.

“Of course, we will lessen or reduce the contact hours of teachers. Aminado naman tayo na may kakulangan pa tayo sa mga teachers so that’s why we reiterated nung last week of August yung pagha-hire at pagpi-fill in ng lahat ng existing teaching items,” Poa said.