DBM approves over 22,000 non-teaching posts for public schools

More than 22,000 new non-teaching positions will be created in public schools nationwide beginning next year after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the establishment of 22,268 support and administrative posts for the Department of Education (DepEd).

The newly approved positions for Fiscal Year 2026 are expected to bolster school operations and help reduce the administrative workload often handled by teachers, according to DepEd.

The allocation includes 6,000 School Principal I positions, 11,268 Administrative Officer II positions, and 5,000 Project Development Officer I positions for elementary and secondary schools across the country.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara welcomed the approval, saying the additional personnel would allow teachers to focus more on classroom instruction.

“Sa pamamagitan ng mga bagong posisyong ito, mas makatututok na ang ating mga titser sa pagtuturo at sa pagpapataas ng kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa.”

(Through these new positions, our teachers can focus more on teaching and improving the quality of education in the country.)

The DBM said the positions will be distributed across different regions, with regional offices tasked to directly issue the corresponding Notices of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action to speed up deployment.

The approval comes shortly after the DBM authorized 32,916 new teaching positions aimed at addressing teacher shortages in public schools.

Education groups and teacher organizations have long pushed for the hiring of additional non-teaching personnel, arguing that educators are often burdened with paperwork, reports, and other administrative duties that take time away from classroom instruction.

Funding for the newly created positions will come from DepEd's built-in appropriations under the Fiscal Year 2026 General Appropriations Act.

The latest approval forms part of the government's broader effort to strengthen manpower in public schools amid continuing concerns over teacher workload and staffing gaps in the education sector. —VAL, GMA News