The Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines is actively seeking to fill over 40,000 vacant positions, including newly created teaching and school-based non-teaching roles. This initiative comes as the department faces challenges in staffing these essential positions across the country.
Hiring Push Amidst Staffing Challenges
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara has issued a directive to all DepEd offices to prioritize and expedite the hiring process. As of now, DepEd has 46,703 vacancies, which constitute 4.53% of the 1,030,897 authorized positions within the department. Angara emphasized the importance of filling these positions to ensure the smooth operation of offices and to improve DepEd’s capacity to implement educational programs effectively.
In a memorandum dated August 5, Angara instructed bureau and service directors, regional directors, and schools division superintendents to “exhaust all measures to expedite” the hiring process. The memorandum highlights the impact of these vacancies on the department’s operations and its ability to secure approval for future staffing proposals from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Implementation of a “Catch-up Plan”
To address the staffing shortfall, Angara has called on all DepEd field offices to develop a “catch-up plan” to closely monitor the hiring progress. This plan must be submitted to the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development-Personnel Division by August 9. The aim is to streamline the hiring process and ensure that positions are filled promptly.
Earlier this year, the DBM approved the creation of 5,000 non-teaching positions within DepEd. This move was intended to alleviate the administrative burden on teachers, allowing them to focus more on classroom teaching. The decision followed a directive from then-Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte, who emphasized the need to remove administrative tasks from teachers’ responsibilities.
Concerns from Teachers’ Groups
Despite the creation of 5,000 non-teaching roles, several teachers’ groups have expressed concern that this number is insufficient given the more than 47,000 public schools nationwide. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has proposed hiring at least two administrative staff per public school to adequately support teachers. ACT also advocated for the hiring of healthcare professionals, such as nurses, in school clinics to prevent teachers from having to assume these roles.
Addressing Shortages in the Allied Health Sector
In addition to the staffing issues in education, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) is working to address a shortage of professionals in the allied health sector. CHEd Chair Prospero de Vera III highlighted a pressing shortage of 12,000 radiologic technologists during a recent House budget hearing. He noted that while there are concerns in other allied health areas, the shortage of radiologic technologists is the most immediate issue.
CHEd plans to increase the number of schools offering programs in these fields, improve licensure exam pass rates, and enhance salary packages to attract more professionals. The commission is focused on addressing these shortages to ensure that the country’s healthcare system can meet current and future demands.
As both DepEd and CHEd work to address these staffing challenges, the government is taking steps to ensure that educational and healthcare services in the Philippines are adequately staffed and equipped to serve the population effectively.
