Report Philippines Approves 16,000 New Teaching Positions to Address Staff Shortage

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As the new school year in the Philippines begins on June 16, the government has approved the creation of 16,000 teaching positions to address severe staffing shortages in public schools. This move represents the initial wave of a total 20,000 positions sanctioned by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman as part of efforts to bolster the country’s educational workforce.

 

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) welcomed the initiative by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), highlighting it as a substantial improvement over previous years where under Vice President Sara Duterte's leadership, fewer than 10,000 positions were created annually. However, ACT chair Vladimer Quetua stressed that the 16,000 new roles fall significantly short of the 150,000 needed to ensure quality education.

 

Quetua urged the government to expedite the hiring process for these roles, noting past delays in filling positions under Duterte, where application processes extended over several months. These bureaucratic lags resulted in late placements, with some new hires only starting months into the academic year. The challenge of meeting qualification criteria also contributed to unfilled vacancies.

 

The newly approved positions include 15,343 Teacher I posts, offering a salary grade (SG) 11, with salaries between P28,512 and P30,587. Additionally, there are 157 Special Science Teachers (SG 13) and 500 Special Education Teachers (SG 14), with progressively higher salary ranges. The funding, amounting to P4.194 billion, will come from the Department of Education's (DepEd) allocation in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

 

Pangandaman highlighted that this initiative aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen the nation's education system and supports DepEd's efforts across all educational levels, including the Alternative Learning System.

 

Quetua pointed out the need to double the number of teaching positions by next academic year to address persistent shortages. He reflected on past administrations, noting that during President Benigno Aquino III's term, 40,000 new positions were created annually.

 

He also highlighted historical challenges, citing a Senate deliberation where out of 9,650 approved positions, only 3,352 were filled in one academic year. This exemplifies ongoing difficulties but underscores the necessity to swiftly address current vacancies to meet the upcoming school year's demands and maintain educational standards.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Inquirer 2025-05-19