DepEd Statement on Teacher Hiring

In response to Senator Ralph Recto’s conclusions on the Department of Education’s (DepEd) teacher hiring as carried by the Manila Bulletin last July 19, 2015, DepEd stresses that we have adjusted and improved the qualifications in hiring teachers in public schools to ensure the quality of education in the country. In the last four years, DepEd was able to fast track its hiring process: with an average of three months (May to July) hiring period now compared to an average of 14 months before. With over 128,000 teachers hired from 2010 to 2014, records show that DepEd has an average of 95% filling up rate in the past five years.

With the improved hiring policy, the Department has faced a number of challenges such as lack of qualified applicants in several divisions. DepEd was able to address this through DO 22, s. 2015 (Hiring Guidelines for the Remaining Teaching Positions effective School Year 2015-2016) which aims to augment the need for qualified applicants in divisions with high teacher needs.

DepEd clarifies that the remaining 1,778 unfilled items for 2014 in DepEd ARMM will be filled with teachers while the said region continues to revamp its hiring process. DepEd assures the public that the hiring of the 39,066 teachers this year is ongoing and is in accordance to the guidelines set by the Department. Of these items, 32,730 teacher items have been approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and are ready for filling up. Through the streamlined processes and standards, DepEd guarantees the continued delivery of quality education through the hiring of qualified teachers for public schools nationwide.