SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian will seek funding for new teaching positions under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2027 budget, following the culmination of National Teachers’ Month and World Teachers’ Day celebrations.

The proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program currently contains no funding for new teaching positions, despite DepEd’s request for ₱4.29 billion to hire 14,274 new teachers to help address classroom demand.

DepEd and the Department of Budget and Management have clarified that ₱31.22 billion remains available to fill 64,530 existing vacant positions.

Gatchalian, however, said expanding the education workforce remains critical to addressing the needs of learners and schools.

“Ang ating mga guro ang may pinakamahalagang papel sa edukasyon ng ating mga kabataan. Kung mananatiling kulang ang ating mga guro, ang pagkatuto ng ating mga mag-aaral ang lubos na mapipinsala,” Gatchalian said.

The senator’s push for additional teachers comes amid concerns over staffing shortages and following the release of the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results.

According to the results, 19 percent of Filipino learners attended schools where principals reported that instruction was hindered, to some extent, by a lack of teaching staff. The figure was lower than the 43 percent reported in 2022.

However, PISA 2025 also showed that learners’ science performance tended to be lower in schools where principals reported greater personnel shortages, including shortages of teaching staff.

Gatchalian said ensuring an adequate number of teachers is necessary to support learning and address the growing demands of the country’s education system.