In line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen the education system, the government has created 16,000 new teaching positions in time for the opening of classes in June this year.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on Monday’s press briefing that the 16,000 new positions are part of the first phase of a larger plan to hire 20,000 teachers.

Castro also emphasized that President Marcos wants to address the teacher shortage and improve the quality of education for Filipino students. She said that PhP4.19 billion in funding for this initiative has already been allocated to the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“Unang-una po, it is the directive of our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to strengthen the education system. Ang gusto po talaga ng Pangulo ay mapabawasan ang kakulangan ng mga guro sa bawat eskwela,” Castro said.

“[The] 16,000 teaching positions ay unang parte lamang po dahil ang target po ay 20,000 teaching positions,” she added.

The initiative supports the efforts of the Department of Education (DepEd) to address the 56,000 shortage of teachers in 2024, and a move toward a more effective teacher-student ratio.

The new teaching positions aim to reduce overcrowding in classrooms, particularly in schools with sufficient infrastructure but that struggle with high student-to-teacher ratios.

The national classroom-to-student ratio is 1:40, above DepEd’s ideal of 1:30. Many primary schools also exceed the 1:35 target. Smaller classes allow teachers to give more focused attention and improve learning outcomes.

“Ang nais po natin at ang nais po ng Pangulo ay mabigyan po ang bawat estudyante, matutukan po ng kanilang guro para po mas maging maganda ang kanilang pagsasanay at pag-aaral,” Castro said. | PND