DepEd to teachers: Take steps to prevent student ‘burnout’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has appealed to teachers to make some learning module exercises and activities optional to prevent students from experiencing “burnout” due to the overwhelming subject requirements they must accomplish after just one week of remote classes.

Diosdado San Antonio, DepEd undersecretary for curriculum and instruction, on Monday said the department was not blaming teachers for giving students “the opportunity to show how much they have learned” with their answers to self-learning modules. But he reminded them to gauge what students should accomplish in a day and that the agency had a policy of not requiring daily homework for every subject.

“These should be discussed by school teams because they are the ones who agree how many tasks are reasonable [for students]. We do not want the students’ excitement in learning converted into burnout,” San Antonio said at a press briefing.

He added that teachers must avoid giving homework on weekends, which are considered the students’ rest days.

DepEd module templates

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the DepEd was feigning innocence regarding who was responsible for placing the burden on students, stressing that all module templates were produced by the central office.

“We have earlier called for clear guidelines on the conduct of distance learning to address the too heavy workload and study load for teachers and students as observed in the simulations but the agency did not lift a finger to remedy this,” said Raymond Basilio, ACT secretary general.

He pointed out that the DepEd seemed to be passing the blame on the teachers, school heads and its local offices, who were already working “beyond their capacities and resources.”

On the possibility of parents pulling out their children from schools due to their incapacity to guide their studies at home, the DepEd said it would be employing learner support aides (LSAs), depending on the need of its regional and division offices.

“The agency even had the audacity to add this up again to the responsibilities of the schools and local offices, [whose] resources are now drained and have not even risen up from module production problems. Does the DepEd not want to do or own up to anything?” Basilio said.

Aides for teachers

According to Jesus Mateo, DepEd undersecretary for planning, LSAs will be employed to assist teachers in lesson preparation and delivery, guide learners and households on their chosen learning delivery modalities, and monitor students’ progress and achievements.

They are expected to earn between P6,204 and P11,000 monthly, depending on their region of residence.

Last week, some parents reported that their children were forced to skip meals, or were crying due to the overwhelming amount of tasks they had to accomplish in time for their weekly module submission to their barangays.

While a student’s regular daily schedule runs until late in the afternoon, this period often stretches into the evening as they struggle to accomplish their homework. Some parents resort to answering modules themselves to help their children finish their schoolwork for the day.