DepEd still short of 30,000 teachers

A high-ranking official from the Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday that the country continues to face a shortage of around 30,000 teachers, even after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the hiring of at least 16,000 new teachers.

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In a radio interview, DepEd Undersecretary for Human Resources and Organizational Development Willie Cabral explained that the 16,000 newly approved teaching positions are part of the total 20,000 slots targeted for 2025.

“Based on our inventory, we have more or less a shortage of 60,000 teachers—or 56,000 to be exact—at that time. But we were given 22,000 (teachers) in 2024 and 20,000 for 2025. We are seeing a shortage of more or less 30,000 (teachers). We based that on the number of (students) who are returning (to school) to study and the teacher-student ratio,” Cabral said.

He added that DepEd is continuously assessing teacher requirements and coordinating with the DBM for additional support, in line with the directive of Education Secretary Sonny Angara and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure sufficient resources in schools.

“The P16,000 teaching items are included in the budget for 2025. It is part of the 20,000 (teaching items) approved by DBM so the 16,000 (approved teaching positions) is only the tranche one or first batch, we still have the next 4,000 (teaching positions) for submission to the DBM,” Cabral noted.

The 16,000 new teaching positions will be distributed across all educational levels.