Philippines earmarks P31B for 64,000+ teaching posts in 2027

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said P31.2 billion has been allocated under the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to fill 64,530 vacant teaching positions in public schools. The DBM said there were 31,614 vacant teaching positions when the 2026 budget was filed, while it approved the creation of 32,916 additional teaching positions on May 7. “The priority now is to turn these authorized positions into actual teachers inside our classrooms,” said Acting DBM Secretary Kim Robert C. de Leon. “The positions are there. Our focus should be on getting qualified teachers hired and deployed,” he added. The DBM statement came after reports said that the Department of Education (DepEd) will not be able to hire teachers next year as its request for 14,274 additional teaching positions, estimated at P4.29 billion, was not included in the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget. DepEd, meanwhile, said the absence of new Teacher I positions in the 2027 NEP does not mean hiring will stop. “Let us be clear: we will not stop hiring teachers. We have thousands of authorized teaching positions that DepEd can continue to fill,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said in mixed English and Filipino. “The immediate task is to get qualified teachers into these vacant positions as quickly as possible and deploy them where they are needed most,” he added. As of Sept. 4, DepEd said 33,250 teaching positions have been filled, while 25,019 remained vacant. Of the positions newly created in 2026, 22,649 have been filled and 8,733 remained unfilled. Apart from the P31.2 billion, the 2027 NEP includes P7.582 billion for substitute teachers to ensure uninterrupted classroom instruction. The proposed budget also provides P840.589 million for 2,135 non-teaching positions, including 1,000 School Principal I, 1,000 Project Development Officer I and 135 Administrative Officer II positions. Another P801.583 million is allocated for 2,021 school counseling positions, including 1,800 School Counselor Associate I and 221 School Division Counselor positions. Source: BusinessWorld Nation