To: Bureau Directors, Regional Directors
Schools Superintendents

1. The following guidelines are issued in order to minimize unnecessary academic mismatch between excessive specialization in teaching preparation and teaching assignments of public elementary and high school teachers, and the resultant lack of fit between teacher qualifications and subject assignments. It is therefore expected that these guidelines will ensure greater utilization of teaching time among public school teachers. Equally important, incoming teachers will be encouraged to elect those more critical areas of specialization with greater chances of employment and assignment.
2. Effective this forthcoming school year 1994-95, therefore, the basic principle shall be observed that the areas of specialization for teacher qualification will be limited to those subject areas which are taught for all curriculum years. It should be noted that the present PBET examinations do not include testing the major fields.
3. Elementary Level. For purposes of qualification, there is no specialization in teaching preparation required for elementary school teachers. An academic preparation leading to a degree of Bachelor of Elementary Education with or without any major/s shall be deemed suitable for teaching in all curriculum years and for all subjects in the elementary schools.
4. Secondary Level. At the secondary level, there will be only eight (8) major areas of specialization for qualification purposes. These will be (1) English, (2) Filipino, (3) Mathematics, (4) Natural Sciences, (5) Social Studies, (6) Values Education, (7) Physical Education, Health, and Music or PEHM, and (8) Technology and Home Economics or THE. All these areas have subject offerings in all four curriculum years. Any teacher eligible with a degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education or its equivalent majoring in a sub-group of any of the above areas shall be considered qualified to handle all subjects within the area. In the special case of natural science subjects at the secondary level, teach¬ers with majors in any of the sub-areas of General Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics will all be considered as qualified to teach any of the Natural Science subjects. Nevertheless, in hiring new teach¬ers and in making teacher assignments preference for any given Natural Science subject shall be given to one who had majored in that specific subject.
5. For compliance and guidance. This supersedes or modifies as appropriate all previous DECS issuances which may be inconsistent with this Order.

Reference: None
Allotment: l-2–(M.O.1-87)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, REAPPOINTMENT
RULES & REGULATIONS
ELIGIBILITY
TEACHERS
QUALIFICATIONS

DO_s1994_013