Manila, March 6 -- The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said it will renew and hire 7,062 administrative support staff in public schools nationwide.

"Our teachers belong in the classroom, not behind paperwork. By ensuring that every school has the necessary support staff, we are taking a concrete step toward making the learning environment more focused, effective, and responsive to the needs of our students," DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement.

The DepEd's move is part of the teachers' workload rationalization and removal of their administrative task in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to ensure quality education for learners while upholding the welfare of teachers in the basic education....