Edcom flags ‘glacial’ pace of teacher promotions

• Teacher promotions in PH are moving at an “alarmingly slow rate,” says a new government report. How slow? It would take an average of 15 years for a teacher to progress from Teacher I to Teacher III rank.
• Edcom 2 says limited career advancement opportunities push many teachers toward administrative roles for better pay, as classroom-based promotions are scarce.
• Edcom commissioners recommend career progression for public school teachers by creating new teaching positions, such as Teacher IV to VII and Master Teacher V.

The promotion of teachers has been moving at a glacial pace, posing limited opportunities for career advancement among teaching personnel, according to the government body tasked to oversee the education sector.

Findings by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) in its Year 2 report revealed that teacher promotions in the Philippines moved at an “alarmingly slow rate” that it would take an average of 15 years for a teacher to progress from Teacher I to Teacher III rank.

The commission identified designating newly hired personnel as Teacher I despite having enough experience and competencies as one of the factors.

“This [sluggish] advancement is exacerbated by the fact that most new hires are assigned as Teacher I despite their potential to begin their careers at more advanced levels based on their competencies or experience,” Edcom said in its 395-page report launched on Monday.

Forced to take admin roles

According to Edcom’s data sourced from the Department of Education (DepEd), 15.17 percent of teachers with Teacher I rank hold their position for an average of five to 10 years while 7.34 percent hold it for 11 to 20 years.

For Teacher III, 14.20 percent would remain in that rank for 11 to 20 years before advancing to the next rank, Master Teacher I.

“Career progression in teaching should encompass both positional advancements (from Teacher I to Teacher III) and development through career stages,” the Edcom report stressed.

The slow progress would even force teachers to take on administrative roles, which Edcom described as a dilemma that teachers at higher proficiency levels face.

“Limited career advancement opportunities push many teachers toward administrative roles for better pay, as classroom-based promotions are scarce,” the commission said.

Teachers with Master Teacher rank, on the other hand, are few, and being promoted as school head was the “only significant promotion path,” which would require extensive training and added responsibilities.

Need for legislation

However, only a few teachers achieve distinguished statuses or principal roles, leaving many “stuck” at the lower levels. They can only move forward if they leave teaching, said Edcom.

“This hinders the development of instructional expertise and contributes to a shortage of experienced classroom educators,” it added.

It noted, however, that the government had already placed policies to help teachers progress in their careers without being forced to take on administrative roles.

This was after DepEd issued Department Order No. 20, series of 2024, signed by Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara in December last year, as well as the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) under Executive Order No. 174 of 2022, which establishes the expanded career progression system for public school teachers.

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But the IRR for EO 174 has yet to be released, according to Edcom, and its issuance would be a “significant step” in establishing a “supportive and rewarding career framework” for public school teachers.

“However, this initiative must be institutionalized through legislation to fully achieve its goals of expanding career progression, promoting professional growth, and recognizing excellence in teaching, leadership and administration,” it explained.

Merit and competency

Edcom commissioners recommended that the government institutionalize career progression for public school teachers by creating new teaching positions, such as Teacher IV to VII and Master Teacher V.

At the same time, the government should also ensure alignment in salaries, benefits and privileges “across different career lines,” it said.

Qualification standards and assessments should also be harmonized by integrating standards-based assessments to ensure the quality of career progression, the commission also said.

Promotion and reclassification systems should based on merit and competency, it added, to allow teachers to “advance at their own pace through faster reclassification processes.”

“These measures aim to attract, retain and reward highly competent educators by institutionalizing career progression and aligning it with quality teaching standards,” Edcom said.