Teachers oppose shortened class hours

MANILA, Philippines - A national teachers’ organization has opposed the Department of Education’s move to shorten class hours in public elementary schools in a bid to add more class shifts.

The Action and Solidarity for the Empowerment of Teachers (ASSERT) said reducing the learning time of students to add more class shifts in public schools would result to heavier loads for teachers and raise the possibility of institutionalizing three shifts or even four shifts of classes in public schools from the current two-shift system.

ASSERT secretary general Fidel Fababier said adding a third shift in public schools was some sort of punishment for teachers who would be made to shoulder the burden caused by DepEd’s failure to secure more funding for more classrooms and school buildings.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus issued last Aug. 25 an order reducing the “teaching and learning time” in the elementary level.

In DepEd Order 90 series of 2009, Lapus decreed that classes for Grades 1 to 2 will be four hours, Grade 3 will have four hours and 30 minutes, and Grades 4 to 6 will have five hours. Click this link to read complete article http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=507252&publicationSubCategoryId=63