The Department of Education (DepEd) has nearly completed the hiring of teachers and administrative personnel authorized under the 2025 budget and has begun recruiting thousands more school-based staff under this year’s spending plan, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Thursday.

DepEd said it has filled 19,320 of the 20,000 Teacher I positions funded under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, or 96.6 percent of the allocation, as it seeks to address teacher shortages and improve classroom instruction.

“Every teacher we hire is an investment in better learning outcomes for our children. We are committed to filling these positions as quickly and transparently as possible while ensuring that our schools have the people they need to deliver quality education,” Angara said in a statement.

The agency has also hired 9,937 of the 10,000 Administrative Officer II positions created last year, equivalent to 99.37 percent of the target, to provide schools with additional non-teaching personnel and reduce teachers’ administrative workload.

DepEd said recruitment is now underway for 32,916 Teacher I positions authorized under the 2026 national budget, alongside 6,000 School Principal I positions, 11,268 Administrative Officer II positions and 5,000 Project Development Officer I positions to strengthen school leadership and operations.