43% of teachers teach outside specialization

Nearly half of the country's teachers are handling subjects outside their field of specialization, a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) revealed.

- By BELLA CARIASO

According to the “Taught Off-Guard: When Specialization and Teaching Assignments Do Not Match,” 43 percent of teachers are assigned to subjects for which they lack formal training or credentials.

Meanwhile, 32 percent are partially matched (handling both specialized and non-specialized subjects) while only 25 percent are teaching in full alignment with their academic background.

Mismatch refers to the practice of assigning teachers to disciplines for which they lack specialized credentials.

It is a global phenomenon that negatively affects teachers' work, students' learning and teachers' well-being, confidence and self-efficacy, the study added.

To correct this, the study noted that recruitment policies must prioritize and enforce teacher-subject matching, supported by systemic reforms starting from pre-service teacher education.

It also stressed the importance of stronger collaboration between teacher education institutions, the DepEd and other agencies to ensure more responsive planning and sustainable teacher development.