THE DEPARTMENT of Education is poised to implement a new policy on the career movement of teachers.

Undersecretary for Planning and Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development Jesus Mateo said that the department is almost done finalizing the career progression policy for teachers.

“I am happy to report that we have almost completed the policy on career progression, which will be jointly issued by the Department of Budget and Management and [DepEd]. Based on the competency standards, one can now progress to the next higher position,” Mateo said.

Under the proposed policy, the DepEd will create new teaching positions — Teacher III, IV, V, VI, VII, and Master Teacher V, and will institutionalize merit-based promotion anchored on Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers.

The announcement was made as the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology presented a research study on teachers’ motivation, which supported the DepEd’s career progression initiative.

The result of the study was unveiled during the annual Teachers Forum organized by INNOTECH as part of its contributions to the National Teachers Month Coordinating Council.

Senior Specialist and INNOTECH Educational Research Unit Head Dr. Sherlyne Almonte Acosta presented the findings, which showed that economic consideration was one of the motivations for educators.

DepEd Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs Tonisito M.C. Umali lauded the efforts of SEAMEO INNOTECH in coming up with a comprehensive study on teacher motivation, which could be supplemental for other policies focusing on teacher welfare.

“[On policy recommendations], ang isa nga po doon ay career progression at halos lahat ng binanggit ninyo po doon ay mayroon nang ginagawa ang Kagawaran. Kami po ay very interested na makita ang pag-aaral ninyo para lalo pa po naming mapaghusay ang ginagawa ng Kagawaran, kung mayroon pa pong pwedeng gawin,” Umali said.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that teachers should be recognized for their hard work.

“I believe that we should honor, even as we are honoring now, our former teachers, those who continue to teach, [and those] who teach vocationally…. We may be asking ourselves, ‘Why do people teach at this time?’ [This] study shows that, possibly, [despite] the voice of a small minority, teachers go into formal teaching for the very same reason which our grandparents, mothers, and other relatives to go into teaching,” Briones said in her keynote address.

With the theme “TEACHER MOTIVATION: iTEACH FOR A BETTER FUTURE,” the National Teachers’ Month Forum was joined by UP College of Education Dean Dr. Jerome Buenviaje, Philippine Normal University Former President Dr. Esther Ogena, and DepEd Division of Iloilo City Master Teacher II Dr. Alma Janagap.