DepEd closes teacher gaps faster, 20,000 new items ready for deployment

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MOVING in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s instruction to improve the overall learning environment, the Department of Education (DepEd) is making headway in ensuring that more Filipino learners have access to qualified teachers, with the approval of 20,000 new teaching positions for 2025 and significant improvements in the national teacher filling rate.

CLOSING THE GAP DepEd confirmed that all 20,000 teaching positions it requested for 2025 have been approved by the Department of Budget and Management. PHOTO FROM DEPED

In a considerable boost to the country’s public education system, DepEd confirmed that all 20,000 teaching positions it requested for 2025 have been approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), clearing the way to reinforce the teaching workforce and ease classroom burdens, especially in newly established schools and those facing severe teacher shortages.

The positions, which include Teacher I, Special Needs Education Teacher (SNET), and Special Science Teacher I items, will be distributed to all regions. Based on updated school directories, enrollment data, and validated teacher gaps, the highest allocations are going to Region IV-A with 2,655 items, followed by Region III with 2,152, and Region VII with 1,774.

The 20,000 new positions come at a time when DepEd is actively accelerating teacher deployment. In just eight months, the Department has slashed unfilled teaching posts from 72,964 in August 2024 to 38,862 by April 2025. 

The national filling rate now stands at 96.03 percent, a substantial increase from 94.78 percent in 2022.

To fast-track deployment, Notices of Organization, Staffing, and Classification Action (NOSCAs) are being issued by DBM Regional Offices directly to Schools Division Offices (SDOs) for Kindergarten, Elementary, and Senior High School (SHS) positions, and to Implementing Units (IUs) for Junior High School (JHS).

With NOSCAs in hand, the issuance of appointments will proceed swiftly based on the readily- available Comparative Assessment Result - Registry of Qualified Applicants (CAR-RQA) prepared for the current school year.

“Bawat bakanteng posisyon ay sayang na oportunidad para sa mga bata. Kaya ginagawa namin ang lahat para ma-close ang gap na ’to. Hindi lang sa mabilis na hiring, kundi sa mas maayos at matalinong pag-deploy (Every vacant position is a wasted opportunity for children. That's why we're doing everything we can to close this gap. Not just through faster hiring, but through better and smarter deployment),” Angara said.

DepEd’s broader reform agenda continues to improve the welfare and capacity of the teaching workforce. These reforms include increasing the annual Teaching Allowance to P10,000, streamlining workload policies, simplifying forms, and boosting promotion opportunities through the expanded Career Progression System.

With all 20,000 items accounted for and deployment already in motion, the School Year 2025– 2026 is set to have a stronger teacher presence, improved learning delivery, and a more equitable education system.