President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing educators’ careers during the oath-taking ceremony for newly promoted and hired Department of Education (DepEd) personnel in Dagupan City on Monday, November 9.
Marcos witnessed the oath-taking of more than 5,211 newly promoted personnel and school heads, alongside 234 newly hired School Counselor Associates (SCAs).
During the event, he emphasized the importance of career growth and professional development in the public education sector.
”We want to see more of our teachers grow, succeed, and advance in your profession. Hence, we promote the continuous learning and professional development,” Marcos said.
The President acknowledged historical bottlenecks in public school career progression, noting that educators previously endured long waiting periods to advance from Teacher I to Teacher III, and from Teacher III to Master Teacher I.
According to DepEd, more than 82,100 teachers and school heads have been reclassified nationwide under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System this month alone, with over 10,200 beneficiaries in Pangasinan.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara reported that more than 18,000 teachers were promoted this year, with an additional 132,000 targeted for promotion next year. Furthermore, between 2022 and 2025, a total of 607,574 teachers participated in various professional development and training programs.
To further support educators, Marcos highlighted administrative reforms designed to ease classroom workloads.
”We are also giving our teachers more time to focus on your students. We have reduced the paperwork required of our teachers from 174 forms to 75, with only five requiring regular completion. This means more time for you to prepare lessons, to teach our students, and to guide them,” he stated.
Addressing student well-being, the President also pointed out the critical need for mental health support in schools and welcomed the newly hired school counselors.
Earlier that morning, Marcos led the turnover of laptops to public schools in Dagupan City to aid school personnel in carrying out their duties more efficiently.