Public school teachers should be spared from “take home” clerical work, too, said House Deputy Speaker Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman amid the call of some of his House colleagues to ban homework for students.
“If the Department of Education is to consider a ‘no-homework’ policy for public school students, it should first address the mountain of clerical work and reports that teachers take home,” Hataman said.
“Teachers should be the first to be spared of excessive homework,” stressed the Mindanaoan lawmaker and former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor.
“Marami rin silang take-home na trabaho. Maraming reports na dapat sulatin at i-submit. Kayod na nga sa eskwela sa araw, kayod pa sa bahay sa gabi,” Hataman explained.
He said it is high time Education officials get honest about the importance of such take home reports as far as the teaching job is concerned.
“Dapat tingnan kung sabagal na ang mga ito sa pagtuturo. How can teachers teach when a great deal of their time is devoted to preparing too many reports, too often?” he added.
The Basilan congressman said this issue should take precedence over any discussion on the “no-homework” policy for students.
DepEd, he said, should first find a solution to the undue volume of teachers’ work outside of teaching, either through trimming down the required reports or the hiring of personnel to perform these tasks.
“Hindi naman masama ang reports. Iyan ay isang effective tool sa pag track ng performance at progress. Huwag lang excessive na to the point na wala nang free time ang ating mga guro, na pati Sabado’t Linggo niya na para sana sa pamilya ay inaagaw na ng homework mula sa eskwela,” Hataman lamented. (Ellson Quismorio)