The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines urged the government on May 30 to significantly increase annual staffing targets for both teachers and administrative personnel.

ACT expressed concerns that the current plan is insufficient to address existing backlogs and could overload staff under a new Department of Education (DepEd) order.

The group’s call to action comes after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the creation of 5,000 new administrative officer positions for DepEd. 

While this aims to lessen the administrative burden on teachers, ACT argues that this falls short of the actual need.

“With the projected addition of 5,000 administrative positions in 2025, the total would only reach 47,665, translating to an approximate 1:1 ratio, considering the current number of over 47,000 public schools in the country. This will evidently prove inadequate, especially in schools with [a] large student population,” explained Vladimer Quetua, ACT chairperson, in a statement. 

“This will undeniably result in workload overload for our education support personnel,” he added.

ACT further pointed out that the Department of Education (DepEd) has historically struggled to fill authorized teaching positions due to a lack of yearly targets and a cumbersome hiring process.

“The DepEd’s clustering plan won’t work because it will undoubtedly burden administrative officers who will be assigned to handle tasks for at least three schools each. DepEd Order No. 2 s. 2024 is also pointless without an adequate number of education support personnel,” Quetua said.

The teachers’ group is asking for a yearly staffing target that addresses the significant shortage of both teachers and education support personnel. 

They recommend hiring approximately 94,540 additional support staff nationwide, doubling the budget for school maintenance expenses, and employing various personnel like registrars, librarians, and medical officers.

With the new school year approaching, ACT’s plea highlights potential concerns over teacher and administrative staff burnout due to understaffing.

The group emphasizes the need for urgent action to ensure a smooth and efficient operation of the country’s public schools.