DBM OKs 4,000 new teacher posts

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the creation of the remaining 4,000 new teaching positions for the ongoing school year in a bid to boost manpower in public educational institutions.

In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said she has greenlit the new positions to complete the target of hiring 20,000 teachers this year.

Just last month, 16,000 teaching positions in public schools were approved with a P4.19-billion budget allocation.

The funding for the second batch will come from the Department of Education (DepEd)’s built-in budget under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, specifically earmarked for hiring new school personnel.

All 4,000 positions will be for Teacher I posts, with Salary Grade 11 or a monthly compensation of at least P27,000.

Of the total, 1,951 positions are allotted for senior high school. Another 1,658 will be for kindergarten and elementary, while 391 positions will go to junior high school.

Pangandaman said the move aligns with President Marcos’ directive to strengthen the education sector and ensure adequate staffing in public schools.

DepEd earlier said that about 27.6 million students returned to school last week as classes reopened.

Improvement

In a related effort to bolster the country’s public education system, more than 77 percent of local government units (LGUs) nationwide have utilized a significant portion of their Special Education Fund (SEF) to build and upgrade classrooms, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Based on the 2024 Seal of Good Local Governance assessment, a total of 1,332 LGUs, or 77.67 percent, spent at least 85 percent of their SEF on education-related programs, activities and infrastructure. — Mark Ernest Villeza