DepEd grants public school teachers additional pay for teaching beyond 6 hours
MANILA, Philippines — Public school teachers will now receive additional pay for teaching assignments beyond their regular six-hour daily workload, as per the Department of Education (DepEd) guidelines issued on April 29, 2024.
According to DepEd Order No. 005, series of 2024, all DepEd-employed teachers engaged in full-time classroom teaching in public elementary and high schools are entitled to receive “overload pay” equivalent to 25 percent of their salary.
This revision comes after years of clamor from teachers and is in compliance with the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, which provides for teachers’ welfare.
While teachers are mandated to render six hours of actual classroom teaching per day, they may be required to teach beyond this limit, not exceeding eight hours, with additional compensation of at least 25 percent of their basic pay.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) hailed this move as a “victory,” long overdue in addressing labor issues faced by teachers.
The order specifies that teachers should dedicate two hours to ancillary tasks like lesson planning and paper checking, which can be done inside or outside school premises. Class advising duties will be considered part of actual classroom teaching.
The DepEd also laid out guidelines for school heads in assigning teaching overloads, emphasizing that specialization should be a prime consideration. Teachers designated as teacher in charge (TIC) may be relieved of teaching duties if necessary.
However, teachers under contractual positions funded by local school boards are not eligible for teaching overload compensation. The basic wage ranges from P27,000 to over P63,997, depending on rank.
In February, House Bill No. 9920 was filed to raise the minimum monthly salary for teachers to P50,000.
