DepEd urged to review classroom observation policy after teacher's death

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January 8, 2026 | 3:41pm

MANILA, Philippines — Two major teachers' groups are pressing the Department of Education to review its conduct of classroom observations after a teacher in Muntinlupa City died earlier this week during a scheduled classroom observation.

The Teachers' Dignity Coalition called on DepEd to "urgently review its policies on classroom observations as an integral part of the teachers' performance rating system," while the Alliance of Concerned Teachers demanded the immediate suspension of the practice.

Agnes Buenaflor, who taught at Pedro E. Diaz High School, collapsed during the observation, according to reports. Staff administered first aid and rushed her to the hospital, but she did not survive, said Violeta Gonzales, officer-in-charge of the Schools Division Office of Muntinlupa, according to a statement yesterday.

"Classroom observations, while they may be conducted periodically, must be implemented primarily as a supportive and developmental process aimed at improving pedagogy — not as a punitive or judgmental mechanism to determine a teacher's worth or capability," TDC said in a statement released Thursday, January 8.

The group's national chairperson, Benjo Basas, said teachers "should not be made to repeatedly prove their competence under conditions that may unduly add to their stress and workload."

ACT went further, calling on DepEd to suspend classroom observations, especially as educators are returning from the holiday break. They also asked DepEd to "carefully study the burdensome evaluation system like RPMS, push for its scrapping and replace it with a pro-teacher, fair and meaningful alternative."

The organization said Buenaflor was "full of dedication and effort to deliver quality education to her students, and endured sleepless nights and fatigue to prepare herself and demonstrate teaching excellence, which may be one of the reasons for the collapse of her body and subsequent death."

TDC also urged the government to provide "free, accessible, and quality medical services" for teachers.

Teachers' groups have long questioned the volume of administrative requirements DepEd imposes on top of classroom instruction. Classroom observations feed into the Results-Based Performance Management System, which determines how the government grants benefits and recommends promotions for DepEd employees.

These requirements, ACT said, are "excessive, inhumane, and take away time and energy from teachers for teaching, which is their primary responsibility."

Both organizations extended condolences to Buenaflor's family, colleagues, and students.

Under guidelines issued by DepEd in October 2025, teachers are required to undergo two full-period classroom observations each school year under the Performance Management and Evaluation System.  

The schedule for each observation must be agreed upon by the teacher and the observer at least three working days before the classroom observation, according to DepEd Memorandum No. 089, series 2025.

The new guidelines, which cover school years 2025-2026 to 2027-2028, also introduced "formative walkthroughs"—short 10 to 15-minute non-rated observations meant to provide feedback rather than evaluate performance.

The current system is a step down from the required number of observations in previous years. In school year 2023-2024, teachers underwent four classroom observations, one per quarter. For the school year 2024-2025, DepEd reduced this to just one or two observations in the fourth quarter.