Christina Erbon 

Under the Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 21, Series of 2023, Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte issued rules for classrooms to be free from "unnecessary artwork, decorations, tarpaulin, and posters at all times" for students to focus on lessons.

Photo Courtesy of DepEd / Victoria Tulad / Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook

In a clear directive from DepEd, local officials in public elementary and secondary schools were instructed to make sure that "classroom walls remain bare and devoid of posters, decorations, or other posted materials" to highlight the “maintenance of clean schools" for the management of the 2023 Brigada Eskwela. 

"Tiyaking malinis at walang mga dekorasyon, tarpaulin o mga posters ang mga silid-aralan upang magkaroon ng focus ang ating mga mag-aaral sa mga leksyon mula sa ating mga guro," Duterte reminding teachers of the implementation guidelines.

In the same guidelines, DepEd ordered the schools not to have signages of announcements displaying forms of advertisements, sponsorships, or endorsements.

Furthermore, the education secretary stressed that all the clutter in the classroom should be cleaned by the time classes start. During the 2023 BE national kick-off on August 7 in Tarlac, she emphasized that schools should be seen as “functional, neat, and organized.” 

Moreover, DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Michael Poa added, "we want to declutter our classrooms [and] we just want to make sure their classrooms are clean, neat and orderly for the coming school year," during a news conference for the national BE kick-off. 
 
Duterte said that by getting rid of these "clutters," classrooms will be less distracting, allowing students to concentrate better on their lessons.

 “Classrooms should not be used to stockpile materials and should be clear of other unused items or items for disposal,” the DepEd Order read.

With this, some teachers were urged to remove all posters, artwork, and other classroom wall decorations displayed for either educational or entertainment purposes that the DepEd considered "unnecessary" to comply with the order during the National Schools Maintenance Week.


Edited by Khezyll Galvan