SANTIAGO CITY, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) announced that newly appointed non-teaching personnel are set to alleviate teachers from administrative duties, enabling them to devote more time to classroom teaching, following the oath-taking of 869 administrative and project development officers in Cagayan Valley on Friday, October 2.
The batch of fresh hires includes 612 Administrative Officers II and 257 Project Development Officers I, financed through the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
DepEd stated these newly created roles will absorb school administrative responsibilities to give educators more dedicated instructional time.
“We want our educators to focus on what they do best, teaching and nurturing our youth, without worrying about administrative burdens or ceiling-capped growth,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
Angara led the mass oath-taking event for 4,244 newly promoted and freshly hired DepEd staff members at the Santiago City Sports Arena in Isabela, accompanied by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Among the oath-takers were 3,047 educators and principals across nine school divisions in Cagayan Valley who earned promotions under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) framework, along with 328 newly appointed School Principals I.
“[W]e are showing our teachers that their dedication is recognized and properly compensated. Kapag umuunlad ang career ng ating mga guro, directly na nakikinabang ang ating mga mag-aaral,” Angara pointed out.
According to DepEd, the ECP system eliminates persistent career advancement backlogs by basing promotions on professional standards, capability, and performance. The system establishes clear career levels ranging from Teacher I to VII, Master Teacher I to V, and School Principal I to IV, allowing educators to advance professionally while continuing to teach in the classroom.
Special recognition was also given during the event to nine of the longest-serving educators who achieved advancement through the ECP system.
President Marcos affirmed his administration’s commitment to uplifting the teaching profession during the gathering, which coincided with National Teachers’ Month celebrations.
“Hindi lamang kayo nagtuturo ng aralin. Kayo ang gumagabay, nag-aalaga at tumutulong humubog sa kinabukasan ng kabataang Pilipino. Kaya asahan ninyong patuloy kayong susuportahan ng administrasyon na ito,” Marcos assured.