DepEd Goes WFH on Fridays — Teachers Stay in Class, Everyone Else Gets Pajama Day
The Department of Education is shaking up the workweek for its employees nationwide. Starting March 9, all DepEd offices will operate on a four-day onsite schedule — Monday to Thursday — with Fridays designated as work-from-home days. The move comes under DepEd Memorandum No. 018 signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
The directive implements Memorandum Circular No. 114 from the Office of the President, which orders government agencies to adopt energy conservation measures and flexible work arrangements amid surging fuel prices driven by the escalating Middle East conflict. The goal? Cut electricity and fuel consumption by 10 to 20 percent across all DepEd offices.
Don't worry though, students — your teachers aren't getting a long weekend. The WFH arrangement only applies to non-teaching and administrative staff, including contract-of-service and job-order employees. Teachers will keep their regular class schedules to avoid disrupting end-of-school-year activities.
The energy-saving protocols go beyond the WFH setup. DepEd offices must now keep aircon thermostats locked at 24°C, activate sleep mode on equipment, turn off non-essential lights during breaks, and even encourage staff to take the stairs instead of using elevators. Inter-agency meetings must go virtual unless absolutely necessary, and official travel is restricted to critical functions only.
Despite the flexible arrangement, DepEd stressed that government services must remain uninterrupted. Frontline offices need to keep communication channels open, and remote employees will be monitored through daily time records and accomplishment reports. The policy stays in effect until the Office of the President says otherwise.
Source: GMA News
