Rep. France Castro of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party list expressed worry on Wednesday that the Department of Education (DepEd) calendar for the 2022–2023 school year may not provide teachers with enough time for rest, with enrollment beginning on July 25 and the academic year beginning by August 25.
According to Castro, many teachers are still working through a significant amount of documentation from the previous school year.
Castro emphasized that, despite being meant to be on vacation, DepEd’s Department Order No. 34 does not specifically reference remuneration for teachers who might be requested to report to work to prepare for the upcoming school year.
“Ang pagbanggit sa sapat na kompensasyon para sa pagpapapasok sa mga guro sa kabila ng sa mga panahong iyan ay should nakabakasyon ang mga teachers natin,” she said. “Wala sa nasabing Department Order ang pagbanggit sa sapat, ” she said.
Additionally, she noted, “Noong June 24 dapat ang pagtatapos ng School Year 2021-2022 pero ang teachers natin ay baon pa rin sa pagtatrabaho ng paperworks hanggang ngayon. Mahigit isang linggo na lang, kailangan na pumasok ng mga teachers para paghandaan ang parating na school year. Hindi na sila nakapagpahinga, wala pang kasiguruhan na sapat na mababayaran sila sa labis na serbisyong binibigay nila.”
Due to the limited period between the conclusion of one school year and the beginning of the next, Castro expressed concern that the instructors who would be working extra might not receive fair compensation.
“Ayaw na nating maulit ang nangyari noong SY 2020-2021 kung saan nauwi sa ‘thank you’ na lamang ang labis na pagpapapasok sa mga guro sa panahon na dapat sila ay nagpapahinga at nagpapalakas para sa susunod na school year,” Castro said.
The same legislator asked the previous DepEd administration for clarification in 2021, during the 18th Congress, regarding the proportionate vacation pay (PVP) that teachers get in place of leave benefits during the two-month vacation period or after working for 10 months.
Castro argued back then that teachers who work through their vacation should also be compensated for the benefits they lost from the time they were supposed to be taking.
“Sa panahon ng June 25-August 22, 2022, tinatamasa dapat ng mga guro natin sa public school ang Proportional Vacation Pay (PVP). Wala na ngang sick leave ang teachers natin, hindi pa lubos na nakakapagpahinga ang mga teachers dahil sa dami ng paperworks at dagdag na trabaho na pinapataw sa kanila,” Castro added.
The next school year will begin on August 22 and end on July 7, 2023, according to information released by DepEd on Tuesday.
However, even before the start of the school year, a number of teachers’ organizations have emphasized the need for teachers to take some time off because the COVID-19 pandemic’s sophisticated setup has taken a toll.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have been obliged to use online or modular distance learning approaches. However, ACT has previously stated that some teachers do not actually receive breaks because their jobs require them to work longer hours.
