The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, December 3, said it is preparing for one of the largest teacher recruitment waves in recent years.

In a statement, DepEd said the Marcos administration’s proposed 2026 national budget allocates 32,916 new Teacher I items to help ease classroom congestion and strengthen early-grade instruction across public schools.

The hiring surge — one of the biggest single-year increases in DepEd’s staffing plan — comes as schools continue to manage high learner densities and learning recovery challenges following years of pandemic-related disruptions.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the expanded 2026 hiring plan reflects the administration’s commitment to improving teaching quality and reducing overcrowded classes.

“Kapag nagdagdag tayo ng libo-libong guro, mas lumuluwag ang mga silid-aralan at mas nabibigyang-pansin ang mga batang kailangang abutan (When we add thousands of teachers, classrooms become less crowded and children who need attention are better served),” Angara said.

“Papalakasin ang pwersa ng mga guro para mas umangat ang kalidad ng pagtuturo sa bawat paaralan (We will strengthen the teaching workforce so that the quality of education in every school will rise),” he added.

Beyond classroom teachers, DepEd said the 2026 National Expenditure Program also proposes 6,000 School Principal I positions to address leadership gaps in public schools and 10,000 School Counselor Associate I positions to boost guidance services, support learner well-being, and address rising bullying cases.

DepEd said it is likewise completing hiring for staffing items from previous years.

For 2025, the agency is set to deploy 20,000 new teaching positions, along with filling 33,052 unfilled positions accumulated from prior years.

In line with its push to refocus teachers on instruction, DepEd said it will also expand its non-teaching workforce.

The 2026 proposal includes 11,268 Administrative Officer II (AO II) positions to achieve a 1:1 AO-to-school ratio and 5,000 Project Development Officer I (PDO I) positions to strengthen school-level program implementation.

DepEd said these additions will help reduce administrative burdens on teachers — a major pain point across schools.

Under Angara’s leadership, DepEd said it has introduced several teacher welfare reforms, including the Inclusive Employment Policy, updated guidelines on overtime and overload pay, and workload rationalization measures to shift non-teaching tasks away from teachers.

DepEd said the strengthened 2026 staffing plan reflects both the urgency of addressing classroom congestion and the government’s confidence in DepEd’s ongoing reforms.

“Matagal nang hinihintay ng sektor ang ganitong laki ng pondo (The sector has long been waiting for funding of this scale),” Angara said.

“Historic ang 2026 budget dahil unang pagkakataon na sabay-sabay nating natutugunan ang pangangailangan sa guro, suporta sa paaralan, at paghahanda sa bagong kurikulum (The 2026 budget is historic because it is the first time we are simultaneously addressing the needs of teachers, school support, and preparations for the new curriculum),” he added.

Once approved in the 2026 General Appropriations Act, DepEd said the expanded hiring is expected to improve school operations, enhance support systems, and boost the frontline capacity of basic education nationwide.

DepEd noted that the expanded hiring of teachers, principals, and school counselors — alongside the filling of long-pending items — strengthens the country’s push to improve learning conditions under the Marcos administration.