Angara orders review of RBPMS, teachers’ workload

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara has signed a memorandum creating a task force that will review the implementation of the Department of Education (DepEd)’s Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS) as well as the workload and other reportorial requirements for public school teachers.

In his DepEd Memorandum No. 037 dated July 26, Angara directed the task force to submit to his office within three months a “comprehensive policy recommendation” following the review that shall be conducted immediately.

Under the memorandum, the task force, composed of an advisory board and a technical working group, shall perform three main tasks – review and study the implementation of the DepEd’s RBPMS which started in 2015, review and assess teachers’ workload and reportorial requirements and recommend a streamlined system for report preparation.

The memorandum further stated that streamlining the reportorial requirements for teachers is aligned with its earlier Department Order 002 series of 2024 removing the administrative tasks of public school teachers and DO 005 series of 2024 rationalizing teachers’ workload and payment of teaching overload.

Following the issuance of the new memorandum, Angara on Saturday convened the top officials of DepEd in a second executive committee meeting at the agency’s central office in Pasig City.

Just last week, Angara temporarily suspended the teachers’ submission of their Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form (IPCRF) and Office Performance Commitment and Review Forms (OPCRF) for the School Year 2023-2024 so as not to add to the burden of preparing for the opening of classes for SY 2024-2025.

The IPCRF/OPCRF is an assessment tool used in rating the performance of teachers and school personnel for the year. It serves as DepEd’s primary basis in its implementation of the RBPMS and Performance-Based Bonus for teachers and education personnel.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers and the Teachers Dignity Coalition have earlier called for the suspension of the implementation of the RBPMS.

Meanwhile, around 140,000 positions are expected to be available to public school teachers by next year through the implementation of the expanded career progression system.

“By 2025, as what we have mentioned, there would be a total of 140,000 (available positions), 90,000 of which will be coming from the result of this career progression,” DepEd Undersecretary for human resource and organizational development Wilfredo Cabral told reporters in a press briefing.

Angara led the implementing rules and regulations signing of the “Expanded Career Progression System for Public School Teachers” last Friday, ensuring that public school teachers will have the option to pursue either higher teaching positions or leadership roles in school.

He added that giving career path choices for teachers will help improve the quality of education in the country, because of the “teachers’ experience and skills.”