THE DEPARTMENT of Education is set to hire new plantilla personnel—including lawyers, legal assistants, and procurement staff—for public Schools Division Offices (SDOs) nationwide.

DepEd said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved on August 1 its request to create and reclassify various legal and procurement positions across 223 SDOs to address longstanding staffing gaps that have hampered operations at the local level.

The approval covers the creation of the following new plantilla positions across all SDOs: 47 Attorney III, 187 Legal Assistant I, 214 Administrative Officer IV, and 218 Administrative Officer II.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized that the initiative addresses a critical human resource gap that has strained field offices for years.

“Malaking tulong ito para sa ating field offices na matagal nang kapos sa suporta,” Angara said.

“Dahil sa tulong ni Pangulong Marcos at DBM, magkakaroon tayo ng mga abogado at procurement staff sa bawat SDO. Mas mapapabilis ang serbisyo, at mababawasan ang burnout ng ating mga kawani,” Angara added.

While DepEd began reorganizing its legal services under the Rationalization Plan of 2015, the growing demand for legal assistance at the division level has outpaced staffing capacity.

Currently, legal services—such as case resolution, contract review, legal research, and client consultations—are often handled by personnel from nearby divisions or regional offices, which delays action and increases employee fatigue.

Angara noted that the deployment of legal and procurement personnel is a crucial step toward improving transparency, accountability, and service delivery.