The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday said it is set to reduce teachers’ paperwork load by 57 percent out of the 174 total required school forms through a department order (DO) for a new set of guidelines.

The initiative aligns with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to improve the quality of education and ensure the welfare of teachers by reducing their administrative workload.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the move aims to reduce teachers’ workload, which has been a long-standing problem within the education sector.

“Teachers have long raised concerns about excessive paperwork, and this policy directly responds to that. Reducing their bureaucratic workload will not only improve their well-being but also enhance the quality of instruction they provide to our learners,” he said.

Under the policy, all public school teachers will only be required to accomplish five regular forms.

Other reports that may be accomplished are 31 forms for ancillary tasks and 39 forms for teaching-related assignments.

Under the helm of Angara, the DepEd is also pushing for a Data Management framework to establish a “more efficient reporting system” and remove “redundant and outdated” documentation requirements in all public schools.

The DepEd, likewise, will launch awareness campaigns on reforms being undertaken to improve the welfare of teachers.

These reforms are being advanced following the DepEd’s Technical Working Group (TWG) study on school forms that showed that teachers “spend excessive hours” on administrative workload instead of spending time for “lesson planning, student engagement, and instructional activities.”

At least 42 percent of teachers spend over 50 hours a week on work, with 17.8 average hours for ancillary tasks and 8.1 hours for program-related assignments, according to the IDInsight study.

The IDInsight, a global advisory, data analytics, and research organization, partnered with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) to conduct surveys from more than 2,000 schools and 15,000 teachers nationwide to assess teachers’ workload. (PNA)