President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure establishing a career progression system for public school teachers and school leaders, aimed at ensuring their professional development and expanding opportunities for promotion.
Republic Act No. 12288, or the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act, introduces a competency-based promotion framework that allows teachers in elementary and secondary schools to advance based on merit and qualifications.
Under the law, positions from Teacher I to Master Teacher I will serve as the foundation of the expanded system. Promotions will no longer be strictly hierarchical but will be determined by a teacher’s competence and adherence to professional standards.
Qualified educators may also enter any position within the base of the system if they meet the requirements set by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and satisfy the indicators outlined by the Teacher Education Council (TEC).
To implement the system, the CSC, Department of Education (DepEd), TEC, and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) were directed to harmonize qualification standards for teaching positions.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is also tasked to create new teaching titles, including Teacher IV to VII, Master Teacher V to VI, and School Principal V, which will be added to the government’s official occupational index.
DepEd will develop guidelines for evaluating teachers and school leaders seeking promotion. The process will feature publicly available criteria, a point system, and standards-based assessments to ensure fairness and transparency.
The law also requires the TEC to review and align the roles of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines and DepEd’s Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development to strengthen professional training and development programs.
Within 90 days of its effectivity, DepEd, CSC, PRC, and DBM, in consultation with the TEC and other education stakeholders, must jointly issue implementing rules and regulations. These guidelines will take effect 30 days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation.
