DepEd eyes hiring 10K teachers next school year

The Department of Education (DepEd) is planning to hire around 10,000 teachers for School Year 2023-2024, its spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said Sunday.

Poa reiterated the plan for next year, admitting that among the challenges they are facing in the current academic year is the lack of teachers, on top of shortage of school infrastructure and furniture.

“We have already issued a memorandum around end of [August] to fill up all teaching items na existing sa ating field offices ngayon para po talaga siguro ma-reinforce natin ‘yung teaching complements. Next year nga, we’re planning to hire around 10,000 teachers,” he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(We have already issued a memorandum around the end of August to fill up all the existing teaching items in our field offices now so that maybe we can reinforce the teaching complements. Next year, we're planning to hire around 10,000 teachers.)

Poa was referring to the DepEd Memorandum No. 76 s. 2022 which sought for an “adequate teacher workforce” in light of the opening of School Year 2022-2023.

Among the problems that emerged during the resumption of face-to-face classes on August 22 were the lack of teachers and shortage in classrooms.

Poa said that hiring 10,000 teachers next school year is “realistic,” pending the approval of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023.

“We have to look at our budget constraints and of course, ‘yung application process. Hindi naman po ‘yan we just hire and hire without screening and having the application process. So, I think, realistic naman po ‘yung 10,000, although of course, we would’ve wanted more but talaga pong may budget constraints tayo,” he said.

(We have to consider our budget constraints and the application process. It's not that we just hire and hire without screening and having the application process. I think hiring 10,000 teachers is realistic, although of course, we would've wanted more, but we really have budget constraints.)

“Tingnan po natin. We cannot solve these problems overnight or in over maybe a year’s time. Pero talagang ginagawa natin ang makakaya natin para unti-unti, talagang maresolba na natin ‘yung tinatawag natin na perennial problems sa ating mga paaralan,” he added.

(Let's see. We cannot solve these problems overnight or in over maybe a year's time. But we are really doing our best so that little by little, we could solve these perennial problems in our schools.)

The 1987 Constitution mandates that the education sector, composed of the DepEd, TESDA, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), has the highest budgetary priority.

The DBM said the education sector in general is set to receive P852.8 billion for 2023. —LBG, GMA News