By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Honoring the indispensable contribution of educators towards indoctrinating their pupils with valuable lessons, skills, knowledge, and experience to facilitate their growth as responsible citizens of the nation, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12288 into law.
Said legislation institutionalizes the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders, which introduces a competency-based promotion system that enables educators to advance based on merit and qualifications.
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 law likewise mandated the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to further expand the roster of teaching position titles that will broaden the scope of available promotion opportunities, which include Teacher IV, Teacher V, Teacher VI, Teacher VII, Master Teacher V, Master Teacher VI, and School Principal V.
DepEd is also tasked with formulating guidelines to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in vetting the merits of teachers before qualifying for promotion and an uptick in their respective salary grades.
R.A. 12288 will take effect 30 days after publication in the Official Gazette or any newspaper of general circulation.
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