Neo Villareal, a public school teacher for almost seven years in Laguna, had planned to leave the Philippines in search of better opportunities abroad. With a meager salary of around P31,000 per month, he struggles to make ends meet as the breadwinner of his family.
Though he doesn’t have a wife or children, Villareal supports his unemployed parents and his brother, who also depends on him. His financial situation worsened further due to loan payments, leaving him with a take-home pay of only around P6,000.
This is the harsh and discouraging reality faced by many teachers in the Philippines who have devoted their lives to improving education in the country. Villareal, though passionate about teaching as it has always been his childhood dream, finds it increasingly difficult to remain in a profession that offers limited financial and professional growth.
“‘Yung pagiging teacher abroad kasi can give financial stability. Sabi nga ‘di ba, teaching is a vocation, a calling, pero hindi naman tayo mapapakain ng basta calling lang. Para sa katulad ko na bread and butter ang pagtuturo, hindi siya sufficient. We’re overworked and underpaid,” he said.
(Being a teacher abroad can provide financial stability. As they say, teaching is a vocation, a calling, but a calling alone won’t put food on the table. For someone like me, where teaching is the bread and butter, it’s not sufficient. We’re overworked and underpaid.)
Entry-level teachers with a Teacher I designation earn P27,000 per month. According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), an average of 1,500 teachers left the country annually between 2013 and 2017, often in search of better pay and working conditions abroad. This migration is occurring amid a learning crisis in the Philippines, which is facing a shortage of 90,000 teachers.
The Marcos administration has emphasized its commitment to prioritizing the welfare of teachers. In his third State of the Nation Address in July 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that no teacher in the country should retire holding only a Teacher I designation. This is the sad reality that because of tedious paperwork, competitive requirements, and limited positions, teachers have no choice but to retire with no career promotion.
“Sa mga tulad ko na wala naman time mag-master’s, at kapos naman sa pera, kaming mga hindi nagkaka-master’s, lesser ‘yung opportunity na i-level up ‘yung career namin as teachers since ang main requirement to get promoted ay magkaroon ng master’s degree,” Villareal said.
(For people like me who don’t have the time to have a master’s degree and are also short on money, those of us who don’t pursue a master’s have fewer opportunities to level up our careers as teachers, since the main requirement for promotion is having a master’s degree.)
According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM 2, it takes 15 years for a teacher to progress from Teacher I (Salary Grade 11; P27,000) to Teacher III (Salary Grade 13; P31,320).
Aside from financial factors, teachers are also leaving due to the limitations of their career track. Once they reach the Teacher III designation, their next step on the promotional ladder requires moving into managerial roles. The issue is that not all teachers aspire to become school principals — many simply want to continue teaching throughout their careers.
“With limited career advancement options, many teachers are forced to shift into administrative roles, such as head teachers, to secure higher pay,” said EDCOM 2 Chief Technical Officer Krupskaya Añonuevo.
The promise of the new career plan
As the first step, the government, led by Education Secretary Sonny Angara, released the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the expanded career progression (ECP) for teachers last July 2024, after a two-year delay due to funding issues. The ECP was established in June 2022 through Executive Order 174 under the Duterte administration, but it was only during Angara’s first week in office that the IRR was finalized and signed.
Under the ECP, teachers’ professional and financial growth are assured. Previously, public school teachers could only advance from Teacher I to Teacher III, while Master Teachers were limited to positions up to Master Teacher II. The new scheme expands career progression, allowing educators to reach up to Teacher VII and Master Teacher V. Additionally, those holding Master Teacher I positions can now be promoted up to Principal IV, providing a broader range of development opportunities.
The ECP offers a merit-based promotion system that emphasizes competence, shifting away from the previous reliance on available positions. It also provides flexibility for teachers by offering two career path options — classroom teaching and school administration or management.
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With the ECP, Villareal may no longer push through with his plans to leave the Philippines, as it provides him with some assurance of both financial and professional growth.
“Nagbigay siya ng specific na path para sa mga teacher sa Pilipinas. Nalungkot ako before kasi mahirap ma-promote talaga. Naghihintay lang ako na may mabakante sa item para lang ma-promote. Ngayon, hindi na,” he said.
(It provides a specific path for teachers in the Philippines. I used to feel disheartened because it was really hard to get promoted. I would just wait for a vacancy to open in order to get promoted. But now, that’s no longer the case.)
Another teacher from Laguna also welcomed the new career plan, saying it would motivate her to work even harder.
“Career progression is not just an opportunity; it also serves as motivation for us teachers to strive harder. Since everyone is aiming for higher pay, which we truly deserve, it will challenge us to improve further and develop our skills,” said the teacher, who requested anonymity.
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Education expert and University of the Philippines professor Lizamarie Olegario, however, believes that the ECP will not stop the exodus of teachers and that additional government intervention is needed.
“UNESCO predicted that there will be lack of teachers worldwide by 2030. For decades, we have been seeing teachers both from private and public schools leaving the country for better opportunities and higher salaries abroad,” she said.
“Even with the current progression system, the salaries in other countries are at least more than three times the salary here (and even much more in many popular countries where education is given much value and percentage from the GDP. We still fall under the recommended 3% of GDP budget,” Olegario added.
3-year transition period
According to the IRR, there will be three years of transition period for the career plan to be fully implemented. The three-year transition period involves conversion of the existing vacant positions, retitling of the filled positions, and preparation of teachers for those who want to be principals.
The criteria on how the teachers will be ranked or promoted have yet to be released, which will be determined by the Department of Education (DepEd).
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) urged the government to involve various groups and stakeholders in the process to ensure smooth implementation. Nevertheless, TDC Chairperson Benjo Basas said that teachers are excited and hopeful about the ECP. He also urged the DepEd to fast-track the release of clear policy guidelines, including the criteria for evaluation and assessment.
Olegario, for her part, said that while the ECP is a “welcome change,” its implementation is what truly matters.
Congress wants to future-proof ECP
Recognizing the crucial role of teachers in addressing the learning crisis and improving the quality of education, Congress now aims to future-proof the expanded career progression system.
The House of Representatives has passed House Bill 10270 on third reading, which seeks to institutionalize expanded career progression for public school teachers. A counterpart bill is pending in the Senate, where Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the basic education committee, is leading the discussions.
“One of the best reasons to institutionalize a policy is it gives it, number one, stability, meaning no matter who is the president, that policy will be implemented. Number two, it sends a strong signal to our teachers and also to the beneficiaries of that policy that this policy will remain and it will not be changed,” explained Gatchalian.
2025 will be the first full year of the gradual implementation of the ECP. Will the Marcos administration make good its promise to improve the welfare of teachers? – Rappler.com