This comes days after the news of a teacher that passed away after her observation.
In a statement, the Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said that the classroom observation system will not be discontinued.
He said this after a teacher in Muntinlupa who underwent such evaluation collapsed and eventually died.
Instead, the department will be introducing reforms to its guidelines, where the high-stakes nature of the observation will be dropped in favor of a “teacher-favored” system.
Under the new system that is still in the process of being formed, DepEd will conduct full classroom observations only when necessary.
Walkthrough observations will only last for 5 to 10 minutes, with instructional rounds and feedback based on data and reflection that will be designed to help the teacher.
In addition, and most notable of all, teachers who will fail the observation will no longer receive immediate suspension from their work.
“Hindi namin sinasuspinde ang classroom observation dahil mahalaga ito sa teaching quality at learner outcomes. Ang binabago namin ay ang sistema—mula high-stakes, papunta sa mas makatao at supportive na approaches,” said Angara.
To end, the department said, “Patuloy na bukas ang DepEd sa mga mungkahi at opinyon habang hinuhubog nito ang mas maayos na mga polisiya para sa mas mahusay na pagtuturo at mas mabuting pagkatuto para sa lahat.“