THE TEACHERS’ Dignity Coalition lauded Director Malcolm Garma of the Department of Education-National Capital Region for issuing a memorandum on the work scheme for teachers during the pandemic.

In the memorandum, Garma said that teachers are generally “in work from home arrangement except those authorized by the regional director.”

He added that teachers “may physically report to school voluntarily and on a limited basis only” to accomplish several tasks that cannot be done remotely.

“We appreciate this initiative from the DepEd-NCR regional director, proof that he not only abides by the orders of the higher ups, but more importantly, he empathizes with the teachers and cares for their welfare,” said Ildefonso Enguerra III, a teacher in Manila and the president of TDC-NCR Teachers’ Union.

“We received reports even from the NCR that teachers were required to report physically to their schools to accomplish tasks like printing and sorting of learning modules. We reject it for these tasks are not in our job description as teachers, except if teachers would want to do it voluntarily,” Enguerra said.

The memorandum issued by Garma further said that a maximum of 30 percent of the total workforce may be asked to report to school to help in the distribution of gadgets and for the retrieval and replenishment of modules “but not in printing, sorting and packing of modules and learner packets.”

Emmalyn Policarpio, the group’s secretary general, said that DepEd Order No. 11, s. 2020 should be implemented with uniformity.

“If the DepEd-NCR director can follow the order, why can’t the others?” she asked.

“We recognize that there are circumstances that would necessitate physical reporting, but it should not be done on a daily basis and shall not involve all the teachers,” Policarpio added.

Policarpio, a teacher in Valenzuela City, cited a memorandum obtained from the official website of DepEd Cebu Province directing “all teachers, school-based non-teaching personnel, school heads and PSDSs to report daily in their respective stations starting Monday, October 19, 2020 except those with health comorbidities.”

The memorandum signed by Dr. Marilyn Andales, the schools division superintendent for Cebu province also directed all teachers, school-based non-teaching staff, school heads and supervisors “to stay and do their work/activities in respective classrooms and offices (while no pupil is around).”

Policarpio said DepEd Order No. 11, s. 2020 clearly said that the default work arrangement for teachers is work-from-home scheme.

She said that physical or on-site reporting shall only be considered if the tasks and functions of the personnel cannot be rendered through alternative or remote modalities.