MANILA, Philippines — A landmark bill streamlining the promotion process for public school teachers and principals has been ratified by the bicameral conference committee and now awaits President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signature.

The reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 3000 and House Bill No. 10270 establishes a Career Progression System for educators and aims to address long-standing barriers in teacher advancement. The bill was passed on the final day of the 19th Congress.

The measure seeks to resolve systemic challenges that have left many teachers waiting over a decade for promotion.

The bill introduces two distinct career tracks: the Teaching Career Line for those who wish to focus on classroom instruction, and the School Administration Career Line for those pursuing leadership roles. Both tracks are equivalent in terms of salary grades, benefits, and professional recognition.

It also eliminates the reliance on “natural vacancy” — or the availability of positions due to resignation, retirement, or other forms of separation — as the primary basis for promotion. Instead, a standards-based assessment system will be implemented, prioritizing merit, fitness, and competence over years of service.

Findings by EDCOM 2 showed that limited plantilla positions and strict quotas under the current Position Classification and Compensation Scheme (PCCS) have severely slowed teacher career growth. Currently, teachers spend an average of 15 years progressing from Teacher I to Teacher III.

Under existing guidelines, Master Teacher positions are capped at just 10% of total elementary school teaching positions, with only one Master Teacher post per subject area allowed in secondary schools for every 5 to 7 teaching positions.

The bill builds upon Executive Order No. 174, expanding its scope to include school leaders and providing for annual funding. It also proposes new positions, including Master Teacher VI and School Principal V.

To support educators who do not pass promotion assessments, the bill mandates the creation of a free, customized support program by the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP). No teacher or principal will face demotion or loss of benefits under the new system.

The measure also prohibits arbitrary criteria in assessing teacher performance, such as using student achievement scores as a basis for promotion.

Once signed into law, the measure is expected to modernize the career structure of public school educators and provide equitable opportunities for growth.