Teacher Sylvia Aquino makes last-minute preparation inside a kindergarten classroom devoid of any decoration at the Pinyahan Elementary School in Quezon City on Monday, August 28, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) has announced that it would cut down public school teachers’ paperwork by “approximately 57 percent,” in a bid to ease their administrative  tasks.

In a statement, the DepEd said it would streamline school forms and reports. It was also set to issue a formal department order that would create the new rules.

This will be accompanied by nationwide orientation sessions, according to the agency.

“The new DepEd policy will mark an approximately 57% reduction from the total of 174 school forms previously required from teachers. Under this policy, 5 forms will be regularly completed by all teachers,” the statement read.

“However, teachers may also accomplish 31 forms for teacher ancillary tasks and 39 forms for teaching related assignments, which may vary depending on the agreed designations of teachers by virtue of their rationalized workload under DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024,” it added.

The policy is backed by the agency’s study that teachers “spend excessive hours on non-teaching tasks.”

Aside from this, DepEd said it would create a Data Management framework to set standard parameters for data collection in schools, based on the statement.

“This effort shall eliminate redundant and outdated documentation requirements while ensuring essential school management information is accurately recorded,” DepEd said.

Earlier this month, the agency said it would renew contracts and hire 7,062 administrative support staff in public schools across the country, a move aimed at easing teachers' heavy workloads.

According to DepEd, the initiative will remove non-teaching tasks from educators, allowing them to focus on their main responsibility of teaching.