Daily TribuneThe K-12 Law allows the hiring of non-licensed teachers to handle specialized subjects in senior high school on the condition that they should pass the Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers within five years.
The Civil Service Commission has allowed the Department of Education to renew for schoolyear 2022-2023 the provisional appointments of senior high school teachers still lacking teaching licenses.
The CSC made the decision in view of the lack of available licensed teachers to handle the classes.
Resolution 2200353 of the CSC dated 18 August 2022 allowed the reappointment of the said teachers first hired in 2016 and 2017 provided they can show proof they had taken the licensure exam at least once in the last five years.
It may be recalled that the Kinder to Grade 12 or K-12 Law allows the hiring of non-licensed teachers to handle specialized subjects in senior high school on the condition that they should pass the Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers within five years.
However, due to the pandemic, the administration of the LEPT has been intermittent instead of being on a yearly basis, thereby restricting the number of provisional teachers able to take the test.
In 2021, the DepEd requested the Professional Regulation Commission and CSC to prioritize the plea of the affected SHS provisional teachers first hired in 2016.
The teachers asked to be reappointed beyond the five-year allowable period. With the recent CSC issuance, they are granted another year of extended appointment, along with those first hired in 2017.
The CSC has also committed to considering subsequent appeals coming from the DepEd should the same circumstances exist.
Meanwhile, the DepEd is working with the PRC on the reopening of the online application system for the LEPT examination this September.
The efforts aim to secure a sufficient number of teachers in the SHS, with the needed expertise and specialization.
Headed by Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, the DepEd said it will issue the implementing guidelines of CSC Resolution 2200353 soon.
