The Department of Education (DepEd) doubled the vacation service credits of all public school teachers.
Education Sec. Juan Edgardo signed DepEd Order No. 13, series of 2024, that increased the VCS of public school teachers from 15 to 30.
"These updated guidelines streamline the administration of VSCs, which allow teachers to offset absences due to illness or personal reasons, or to recover salary deductions during vacation periods," DepEd said on Friday, September 27.
DepEd said that teachers with at least one year of service and newly hired teachers appointed within four months after the start of classes will receive 30 days of VCS annually.
Meanwhile, newly hired teachers appointed four months after the start of classes will receive 45 days of VSCs per year.
Under the new guidelines, teachers will earn 1.25 hours of VSCs for every hour of eligible service rendered beyond regular work hours during school days.
Teachers will also earn 1.5 hours of VSC per hour if they rendered service during Christmas, summer breaks, weekends, or holidays.
The department also assured that teachers who perform ancillary tasks or additional teaching-related duties outside of their regular hours will also benefit from the new guidelines.
The covered tasks include attending training sessions on weekends or holidays, conducting remedial or enhancement classes, election-related duties, parent-teacher conferences, and home visits.
"In cases where teaching overload is not compensated through overload pay, teachers will be credited with 1.25 hours of VSC for every hour of additional teaching, on top of their 30-day entitlement," the agency shared.
DepEd said that the new guidelines reflect the commitment of the agency to address the evolving demands on teachers and ensuring they receive proper compensation for additional work, particularly during periods like summer or long vacations.
The agency said that the move also aims to safeguard the net take-home pay of teachers by recognizing their participation in DepEd-led activities at the national, regional, and division levels, alongside its partners and stakeholders.
DepEd also mentioned that the approval of VSCs will require authorization from the Schools Division Superintendent or another designated authority.
