The Second Congressional Commission (EDCOM 2) said that more than half of high school teachers in the Philippines are handling subjects beyond their specialization as schools grapple with a nationwide shortage of educators.
“Most of our teachers were teaching a subject they did not study or learn from themselves,” EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark R. Yee said during his presentation at an event.
“The fields that we are truly lacking are STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers, teachers of GMRC (good moral and right conduct) or Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP), and teachers of MAPEH (music, arts, physical education, and health),” he added.
Data from the commission found that 62% of secondary education teachers are teaching without a proper educational background for the subject.
Physical science had the highest subject-teacher mismatch at 98%, followed by EsP at 94% and biological sciences at 80%.
Agriculture and fisheries, along with MAPEH are at 70%, while technology and livelihood education (TLE) is at 69%.
Other subjects affected by the mismatch are araling panlipunan (56%), science (51%), Filipino (45%), English (34%), and math (18%).
“We had a lot of questions from teachers. They are asking “Sir, how can I teach science well? I finished English. How can I teach math well? I finished TLE”,” the EDCOM 2 official said.
Mr. Yee noted that the specialization mismatch stems from improper scholarship allocations in teacher education.
“We have not done supply and demand mapping and strategic allocations of scholarships, in a way that resolves our own problems as a country and even just specifically public schools,” he said.
“If you look at all programs of higher education today, most of them are either elementary education or English education; teaching English in secondary,” he added.
A study by the EDCOM 2 and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) in November also underscored the same concern, linking it to teacher shortage.
Under Department Order (DO) No. 13, series of 1994, teachers must be assigned to subjects aligned with their academic background. However, the study said the policy’s implementation is hindered by “systemic limitations,” including limited professional deployment opportunities.
The Department of Education (DepEd) said earlier this month that it aims to hire more than 32,000 Teacher I in 2026 to address the nationwide teacher shortage while 20,000 teaching positions are slated for hiring and deployment for FY 2025. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
