The Department of Education (DepEd) has reconstituted a committee to address the concerns of public school teachers and personnel regarding the new uniform policy for government workers.
This, as the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in December 2024 issued a memorandum indicating the updated dress code guidelines for government officials and employees during official duties, whether inside or outside government premises.
Under the Revised Dress Code, as circularized through CSC Memorandum Circular No. 16, s. 2024, government personnel must wear ASEAN-inspired attire or clothing on the first Monday of the month, and Filipiniana-inspired clothing from second to fourth Mondays of the month.
Meanwhile, the agency-prescribed office uniform will be worn from Tuesday to Friday and on weekends, and smart casual attire will be allowed on days without agency-prescribed uniform.
Teachers groups have decried the revised policy, stressing that comfort and practicality in their daily uniform are essential to perform their teaching responsibilities well.
“Our public schools, as everyone knows, lack proper ventilation; learners and teachers endure extreme heat, especially during the hottest months. Furthermore, teachers are not stationary; most of us are constantly moving from one classroom to another or even from one building to another,” Teachers’ Dignity Coalition chairperson Benjo Basas said in a letter addressed to the CSC.
“Unlike many office personnel who perform their tasks in air-conditioned offices and stay there all day, teachers are also expected to carry out various additional tasks tied to our teaching responsibilities, making fashion considerations the least of our concerns,” he added.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) also wrote to the CSC, appealing that public school teachers be exempted from the new policy.
The ACT said that the exemption “would alleviate unnecessary financial and logistical burdens, enabling teachers to focus on their primary mission of delivering quality education to Filipino learners.”
DepEd uniform committee
With this, DepEd reconstituted its uniform committee to oversee the selection, implementation, and monitoring of their uniforms for School Years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 in a bid “to foster greater inclusivity and practicality in uniform policies.”
The committee was tasked to ensure that uniforms of DepEd personnel are professional and appropriate for the working conditions and environments in schools nationwide.
DepEd said it allotted six months to draft and release internal guidelines that align with CSC’s updated policies. Until the new internal dress code of DepEd is finalized, all field personnel were advised to adhere to its previous guidelines on uniform and office attire.
“We want to foster a more inclusive, practical, and supportive approach to uniform policies. This initiative not only reflects DepEd’s responsiveness to the needs of its personnel but also its commitment to strengthening the education system for the benefit of all stakeholders,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement.
The committee will include representatives from nine national organizations and associations of teachers and non-teaching employees to ensure that uniform policies reflect the voices of stakeholders.
The committee will be chaired by DepEd’s Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development, with the Assistant Secretary for Operations serving as vice chairperson. —RF, GMA Integrated News
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