Marcos: Nearly 19,500 teachers, school heads promoted from Aug. 2025 to Feb. 2026

Nearly 19,500 teachers and school heads have been promoted amid the government's implementation of the career progression system, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Monday. 

In his speech at the mass oathtaking ceremony of newly promoted teachers and school heads of Cebu province in Cebu City, Marcos said many educators left and pursued administrative positions to receive higher compensation, aggravating the shortage of teachers in the country. 

''So, to overcome these hurdles, we implemented the Expanded Career Progression or ECP System for public school teachers. We have institutionalized this reform in September 2025. I did this by signing into law the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and the School Leaders Act,'' Marcos said.

''Under this new system, this ECP System, the teachers now have two clear pathways for advancement: Classroom Teaching and School Administration. Pinaghiwalay na natin ‘yan. [We separated them.] More importantly, it created many positions such as Teacher IV to VII, Master Teacher V to VI, and School Principal V, providing our teachers a clear career path and more opportunities. Through reclassification, from August of 2025 to February 2026, we have successfully promoted nearly 19,500 teachers and school heads all over the country,'' he added. 

Marcos also said the government has created non-teaching positions, including: 23,500 Administrative Officer (AO) II positions and 1,500 Project Development Officer (PO) I positions as of January 2026.

''As of January of this year, almost 100 percent of these positions have already also been filled,'' Marcos said.

Marcos said that his administration’s deep appreciation for the work of teachers and the commitment to will ensure that they continue to receive the support and recognition that they all deserve.

''This commitment becomes even more important today as we confront the pressing challenges in our educational system,'' he said.

The oathtaking ceremony was part of the Department of Education's (DepEd) Expanded Career Progression (ECP) system, which aims to promote 100,000 teachers nationwide this year. — BM, GMA Integrated News