In recognition of the valuable contribution of educators in the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed Republic Act No. 12288, institutionalizing the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders, aimed at ensuring their professional development and career growth.

RA No. 12288 introduced a competency-based promotion system, allowing public school teachers in the elementary and secondary levels to advance based on merit and qualifications.

Under the Act, the positions from Teacher I to Master Teacher I shall form the basis of the expanded career progression system. Promotions within these positions are non-hierarchical and will be based on a teacher’s fitness and competence in adherence to professional standards.

Recognizing prior learning and teaching experience, the Act also allows qualified educators to enter any position within the base of the expanded career progression system, provided they meet the qualification standards set by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and achieve the indicators of the career stages of the professional standards as affirmed by the Teacher Education Council (TEC).

For this purpose, the CSC and the Department of Education (DepEd), including the TEC, and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) were tasked to harmonize the qualification standards for teaching positions in all levels of the public school system, taking into consideration the Standards-Based Assessment as mandated by the Act.

The new law also mandated the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to create new teaching position titles of Teacher IV, Teacher V, Teacher VI, Teacher VII, Master Teacher V, Master Teacher VI, and School Principal V to expand opportunities available for promotion. These positions must be added to the official Index of Occupational Services, Groups, Classes, and Salary Grades.

In evaluating teachers and school leaders seeking promotion, the DepEd was directed to formulate guidelines to assessing them. The evaluation will include a publicly available assessment process, criteria, point system, and standards-based assessment to guarantee fairness, transparency, and accountability.

To ensure the continuous improvement of the career progression system, the TEC was ordered to review, align, and continuously observe the roles of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) and the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development (BHROD) of the DepEd.

Within 90 days of the law’s effectivity, the DepEd, CSC, PRC, and DBM in consultation with the TEC and other education stakeholders, shall jointly issue rules and regulations for the Act’s effective implementation.

These guidelines will take effect 30 days after their publication in a newspaper of general circulation. | PND