As of July 28, the Department of Education (DepEd) is moving full steam ahead on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s education agenda, announcing massive personnel hires, widespread classroom construction, and major Senior High School (SHS) reforms aligned with his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
In a statement on Tuesday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara confirmed that the agency is aggressively rolling out the President’s directives to improve teacher welfare, learner safety, and overall educational infrastructure across the country.
Easing Teacher Workloads and Boosting Career Progression
A core focus of the SONA directives is the welfare of Filipino educators. Since 2025, DepEd has promoted approximately 82,000 teachers and school heads under the Expanded Career Progression System.
To further support the teaching force, the department plans to hire 65,184 new personnel for the 2026 fiscal year, comprising 32,916 new teachers and 32,268 non-teaching staff.
The influx of non-teaching personnel is a strategic move to ease the notorious administrative burden on teachers, allowing them to focus on actual instruction. The new hires include:
- 10,000 School Counselor Associates
- 11,268 Administrative Officer II positions
- 6,000 School Principal I roles
- 5,000 Project Development Officers
Additionally, DepEd is partnering with UNICEF to digitize 10 major school forms, a modernization effort designed to drastically cut down on paperwork and streamline reporting.
Tackling the Classroom Shortage
Addressing the country’s persistent infrastructure gaps, DepEd reported the completion of 21,441 new classrooms funded through the Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF). This includes 411 classrooms built specifically for remote “Last Mile Schools.”
The construction push continues across the archipelago. The department is currently coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units to build over 12,000 additional classrooms. Meanwhile, an extra 16,000 classrooms in Luzon are in the pipeline through public-private partnerships (PPP).
Revamping Senior High School for Real-World Readiness
Answering the call for a more competitive K-12 curriculum, DepEd is launching the Strengthened Senior High School Program nationwide for the 2026–2027 school year.
The revamped SHS program focuses heavily on work immersion, industry exposure, and robust career guidance. By collaborating with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and private industry leaders, DepEd aims to ensure graduates are fully equipped for employment, higher education, entrepreneurship, or technical skills training.
Learner Welfare and Digital Upgrades
Beyond bricks and mortar, the agency is doubling down on student welfare. DepEd is strictly enforcing its Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment while expanding its school feeding program to reach 4.6 million learners. Mental health support is also being bolstered through the deployment of the new School Counselor Associates.
On the tech front, the department highlighted the rapid success of its AI Ready ASEAN Philippines program, which has already drawn over 1.8 million participants, including students, parents, and teachers.
Reaffirming the agency’s commitment, Angara stated that DepEd will continue to aggressively implement the President’s directives to transform the Philippine basic education sector /Clarence Pacaña
