DepEd prohibits participation of teachers in Volunteer Work, Extra Curricular Activities

DepEd prohibits participation of teachers in Volunteer Work, Extra Curricular Activities

Teachers are not allowed to engage in community service or extracurricular activities during school hours as these will impede the performance of their teaching work and responsibilities.

MAR 28 2023

PARTICIPATION OF TEACHERS IN VOLUNTEER WORK AND EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

DepEd ORDER No. 008. s. 2023

To
Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries Minister, Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, BARMM
Bureau, Service and Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Public Elementary and Secondary School Heads
All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) recognizes the crucial and significant role of teachers in the holistic development of learners. In keeping with the DepEd vision of producing Filipinos who passionately love their country, and whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation, teachers must showcase enthusiasm in delivering the basic education programs and services to learners. This is also in accordance with the DepEd's mission of promoting the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education where teachers facilitate learning and constantly nurture every learner.

2. Republic Act (RA) No. 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers regulates the work hours of teachers not only to give them time for the preparation and correction of exercises and other work incidental to their normal teaching duties, but also to protect and ensure their physical and mental health well-being while they serve in the front lines of DepEd in delivering its curriculum, services, and skills mastery to the holistic classroom managers and leaders. Teachers are primarily responsible for maintaining a learning-focused environment, and at the same time ensuring the welfare of the learners. Moreover, teachers play a vital role in the care and education of the learners. This is even more relevant as DepEd is committed to the Basic Education Development Plan and Learning Recovery Plan. Easing the burden of the teachers will help in the improvement of the teacher education curriculum and will promote a more conducive learning environment. As such, it is imperative for the DepEd to issue this Order to ensure that teachers are not burdened with non-work related matters.

3. In view of the above, the DepEd issues this Order to empower our teachers and make it clear that they have the option to say no to invitations to community events and/or requests to render community service that are non-teaching or non-academic in nature regardless if these will be conducted outside school hours.

4. Teachers are not allowed to engage in community service or extracurricular activities during school hours as these will impede the performance of their teaching work and responsibilities.

5. This order shall take effect immediately upon its approval, issuance, and publication on the DepEd website. Certified copies of this Order shall be registered with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) at the University of the Philippines Law Center (UP LC), UP Diliman, Quezon City. 6. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

SARA Z. DUTERTE
Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines Secretary of the Department of Education

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