Gov't approves over 32,000 new teaching posts for SY 2026-2027

The national government has approved the creation of 32,916 new teaching positions for School Year 2026–2027 in a supposed bid to ease classroom congestion and improve teacher workloads in public schools.

In a statement, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it approved the Department of Education’s (DepEd) request to expand its teaching workforce across all levels—from Kindergarten to Senior High School, including the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the additional positions are intended to address long-standing staffing gaps and improve the learner-to-teacher ratio in public schools.

“These additional items are meant to give our schools the structural support they need and allow teachers to focus more on instruction,” Angara said, adding that the move aligns with directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize teacher welfare and education quality.

Breakdown

Of the total approved posts, 32,047 are Teacher I positions, according to the DepEd.

The allocation also includes 369 Teacher III posts for Special Science Teachers and 500 Teacher IV positions for Special Needs Education (SNED), aimed at strengthening support for learners requiring specialized instruction.

The new positions will be distributed nationwide, with the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) receiving the largest allocation at 3,361 items.

Of this, 1,467 Teacher I posts were allotted to the Schools Division of Sulu, which DepEd identified as having critical instructional gaps.

Other regions receiving large allocations include Central Luzon with 2,722 positions, Calabarzon with 2,644, Central Visayas with 2,586, and Northern Mindanao with 2,541.

Processing, rollout

Under existing policy, DBM regional offices will issue Notices of Organization, Staffing, and Compensation Actions (NOSCAs) directly to Schools Division Offices for elementary, senior high school, and ALS teaching positions.

For junior high school, NOSCAs will be issued to implementing units.

The creation of new teaching items comes alongside DepEd’s efforts to improve teacher career development through the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) system, a merit-based framework introduced under Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022.

The ECP system allows teachers to move up in rank and salary while remaining in classroom teaching roles.—MCG, GMA News