DepEd adds 2 weeks to teachers’ leave cap

CONSOLATION PAY The education department has allowed a small payback to overworked teachers. —GRIG C.MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has raised the cap for leave credits used by public school teachers to offset absences due to health and personal reasons and to give way to demands for fair working hours and compensation for off-school duties.

From the previous 15, teachers would now be granted up to 30 vacation service credits, based on DepEd Order No. 13 signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Sept 18.

“The revised order now entitles incumbent teachers with at least one year of service, as well as newly hired teachers appointed within four months after the start of classes, to 30 days of [vacation service credits] annually,” the DepEd announced in a statement on Friday.

READ: Angara signs IRR of law increasing public school teachers’ allowance

On the other hand, newly hired teachers who assumed their posts at least four months after the first day of classes may be entitled up to 45 days of vacation credits.

The new rule would be applied only to absences caused by illnesses, personal activities or “late appointments,” resulting in salary deductions, the order noted.

Those with an overdue compensation for a teaching overload could get more vacation credits even when they reach the limit. Teaching overload refers to teachers’ rendering up to two more hours a day, or up to 10 more hours a week, than their regular teaching hours.

Payback for overload

“In the event of insufficiency of funds for the payment of teaching overload, vacation service credits shall be granted … and the [credits] earned shall be exclusive of the 30 days limitation,” the DepEd said in the order.

Public school teachers in elementary and high school render six hours of “regular” teaching hours in the classroom per day. Hours in excess of the regular hours should be compensated or converted to vacation service credits under current policies.

The order also laid out the proper computation of vacation service credits as it would be dependent on the day and time the additional work was rendered.

An hour of work rendered beyond regular hours will be equivalent to 1.25 hours of vacation, while an hour of work during Christmas, summer break, weekends or holidays, will get a higher vacation credit conversion of 1.5 hours.

An hour of unpaid overload work will earn teachers 1.25 hours of vacation credits.

The department, however, reminded eligible teachers that their claims for vacation service credits should be approved first by the schools division superintendent or the “authorized approving authority.”

The teachers should also be able to complete the eligible activity for the vacation credits to be valid. Ancillary tasks, including training sessions, remedial classes, election duties, parent-teacher seminars and home visits, are covered by the new guidelines.

Evolving demands

The DepEd said this move hopes to address the “evolving demands on teachers and ensuring they are properly compensated for additional work, particularly during periods like summer or long vacations.”

READ: DepEd sets rate, guidelines for teachers’ ‘overload pay’

The Metro Manila chapter of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers’ (ACT) on Friday lauded the latest initiative of the DepEd under Angara, calling it “a much-needed relief.”

“We, [at ACT], have been campaigning for this because teachers are not granted sick leave,” ACT-NCR president Ruby Bernardo said in a statement.

“The reason why we serve on the days we should be resting is because we want to get service credits,” she said.

The DepEd order would help them gain momentum in pushing for mandatory sick leave and a “substantial” pay increase for public school teachers, Bernardo said.