ANALYSIS: Government has no budget for 14,274 new teachers in 2027

DepEd is asking Congress to restore ₱4.29 billion for its teacher recruitment program after receiving zero funding in the proposed 2027 budget.

Thousands of Filipinos are still taking the long route to become professional teachers, only to face a government that says it may not have enough money to hire them.

The Professional Regulation Commission recorded 63,377 passers in the March 2026 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers, including 18,376 elementary and 45,001 secondary teachers. Most were first-time examinees.

However, that does not mean all passers are waiting for a teaching position under the Department of Education.

DepEd recruited 32,916 new teachers for School Year 2026–2027, one of its biggest hiring rounds in years, after the government approved additional plantilla positions to address classroom needs.

For 2027, however, the department said its recruitment program received zero funding in the proposed budget. You read that right—zero, not a single cent.

The agency is asking Congress to restore ₱4.29 billion to hire 14,274 more teachers.

That creates an uncomfortable situation for aspiring teachers. It highlights how becoming qualified and getting a government teaching job have become different challenges.

The country produces thousands of licensed teachers every year while acknowledging that public schools need more teachers, yet the number of people who can actually enter the public-school workforce remains tied to annual budget decisions.

The result is a frustrating mismatch: thousands of qualified teachers are looking for jobs while public schools continue to need more educators. Without enough funding to hire them, that mismatch could deepen the country’s teacher shortage.

READ: