The Department of Education (DepEd) was urged to speed up the hiring of teachers following the approval of more than 32,000 new teaching positions for School Year 2026-2027.
Under the 2026 national budget, the government allocated P42.4 billion for the creation of 32,916 teaching posts, including 32,047 Teacher I positions aimed at addressing shortages in public schools nationwide.
According to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, filling the positions quickly is critical to improving the quality of education and easing the burden on overcrowded classrooms.
“Hindi matutugunan ang krisis sa edukasyon kung kulang ang mga gurong humuhubog sa kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan. Kapag kapos sa guro ang ating mga paaralan, ang direktang naaapektuhan ay ang kalidad ng pagkatuto ng bawat mag-aaral,” he said.
The senator has repeatedly raised concerns over delays in DepEd’s recruitment process, noting during previous budget deliberations that hiring teachers could take as long as six months because of coordination requirements involving the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
To address the issue, DepEd earlier issued Department Order No. 021, series of 2024, which seeks to streamline and accelerate the filling of vacant teaching positions.
The lawmaker said the creation of additional plantilla items should be matched with faster deployment of teachers to schools that urgently need manpower, particularly in areas facing severe classroom and staffing shortages.