KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato — The Provincial Government of South Cotabato continues to strengthen the teaching workforce in public schools in the province through the deployment of 563 Provincial School Board (PSB)-paid teachers, helping ease the workload of regular teachers and address the learning needs of students.
Ma. Teresa Hallegado, Education Program Supervisor of the Schools Division of South Cotabato, said the PSB teachers serve as an important support to the Department of Education (DepEd), particularly amid the continuing need for additional teaching personnel.
“Ngaa may ara kita provincial paid teachers, kay kahibalo kita nga grabe na gid ang hiring sa Department of Education, pero sa tuod lang indi pa gid siya enough, so dako gid ina nga bulig,” Hallegado said.
Each PSB-paid teacher receives an honorarium of P8,500.00 every month. The province also provides support through Learning Support Aides, and Alternative Learning System (ALS) mobile teachers.
She said the PSB teachers help prevent regular teachers from becoming overloaded with responsibilities, allowing them to focus on classroom instruction and provide better learning support to their students.
“Imagine, kung wala ining aton mga PSB teachers including sa mga ALS, ang ubrahon sang aton mga teachers matambak tanan sa ila. Syempre, pag overwork ang isa ka teacher paano pa ang quality sang iya pagtudlo kapag too much ang adlaw-adlaw niya nga responsibilidad bilang isa ka manunudlo,” she said.
As of February 28, 2026, the province has 806 filled positions under the PSB, according to the personnel complement report of the Office of the Provincial Human Resource Management Officer (OPHRMO).
The workforce includes 563 teachers, 239 learning support aides, and four ALS mobile teachers.
However, the report also revealed that the province provided 571 teachers under the annual budget allocation and from the supplemental budget this year.
The report showed that out of the 563 positions, the Provincial Government of South Cotabato provided 13 created additional teachers from the savings.
Hallegado added that the additional PSB teachers are crucial in helping DepEd respond to the growing demands in public schools especially as the Schools Division implements the Aral Program, which aims to respond to learners’ needs in literacy and numeracy.
She also noted that the province’s PSB teachers are licensed professional teachers and graduates of elementary or secondary education programs, ensuring that learners receive support from qualified teaching personnel.
The province’s continued investment for PSB personnel supports DepEd’s regular workforce and strengthens efforts to improve the delivery of education services, particularly in addressing learners’ foundational literacy and numeracy needs.
