The Department of Education has quietly reversed an order stripping public schools of visual aids, pictures of national heroes and even past and present presidents from classroom walls.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the department has not been strict about DepEd Order 21 imposed by former DepEd Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte stripping classroom walls of all visual aids including unnecessary artwork, decorations, tarpaulin, and posters.

“Hindi naman kami strikto diyan ngayon. Kung ‘yun ang gusto nung mga learners at ng mga teachers, pwede naman silang magkabit,” he told DZMM. He noted that visual aids are expressions of creativity that can help learning.

Teachers’ groups earlier questioned Duterte’s “bare walls policy”, saying the visual aids are educational materials and are not a distraction to students.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro also questioned the DepEd order, saying it did not cite a study that would show that visual aids make students lose focus. 

In the interview, Angara said the department is opening 20,000 teaching positions for School Year 2025–2026 to improve the quality of education and reduce class sizes across the country.

Thousands of volunteers have also joined the annual Brigada Eskwela program to ensure schools are safe, resilient, and well-equipped for the opening of classes on June 16.