PASIG City Rep. Roman Romulo has voiced opposition to assigning teachers the responsibility of teaching reproductive health, citing their already heavy workload.

Romulo, who chairs the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, stressed that educators should not be burdened with additional subjects beyond their primary teaching responsibilities.

The lawmaker pointed out that teachers already handle multiple tasks, including administrative duties, lesson planning, and student evaluations.

He argued that adding reproductive health education to their responsibilities would stretch them too thin, potentially affecting the quality of education in other subjects.

“Teachers have enough duties as it is; we should not place another responsibility on their shoulders,” Romulo said.

Instead of teachers, Romulo suggested that reproductive health education should be handled by experts.

He emphasized the importance of a scientific approach to ensure that discussions remain professional, factual, and appropriate for students.

This, he said, would prevent the use of language that may be perceived as inappropriate or offensive in classroom discussions.

His statement comes in response to the Department of Education’s plan to conduct seminars for teachers on reproductive health education.

The initiative, first introduced during the tenure of former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, aims to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to teach the subject.

However, Romulo remains firm in his stance that reproductive health should be taught by specialists rather than regular classroom teachers.

Romulo’s position underscores the ongoing debate over how reproductive health education should be implemented in schools.

As discussions continue, he reiterated the need to prioritize both teacher welfare and the quality of education, ensuring that students receive appropriate guidance without overburdening educators.