4-day work week for DepEd non-teaching personnel approved

National

IN COMPLIANCE with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive for government offices to conserve energy amid the conflict in the Middle East, the Department of Education (DepEd) has approved a four-day work week for its non-teaching personnel starting Monday, March 9.

In a memorandum issued Sunday, March 8, Education Secretary Sonny Angara designated Friday as a common work-from-home day for all covered personnel, a report by Philstar stated.

Under the scheme, non-teaching and related-teaching personnel, including contract-of-service and job order employees, will only have to work onsite for only four days a week

For teachers, they will continue to follow their regular class schedules to ensure the uninterrupted conduct of classes and end-of-school-year activities, the memorandum stated.

The scheme will remain in effect until lifted or revoked by the Office of the President.

The agency also ordered all offices to adopt energy conservation protocols to help cut electricity and fuel consumption by 10% to 20%. These include setting air conditioners to 24 degrees Celsius, activating sleep settings on office equipment, and turning off non-essential lights and electronics during lunch breaks and after office hours.

Also, personnel were encouraged to use stairs instead of elevators when moving between nearby floors, where practicable.

The agency also ordered that offcial travels will be restricted to essential or critical functions that cannot be carried out through virtual meetings or electronic communications.

DepEd also directed offices to hold inter-agency meetings, consultations, and conferences virtually, allowing physical meetings only when “necessary or operationally indispensable.”(MyTVCebu)