Manila, March 16 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday said reforms in the government's teacher promotion system are addressing decades-long career bottlenecks in public schools, as he witnessed the mass oath-taking of 3,325 newly promoted teachers and school heads from 44 municipalities in Cebu province.

The ceremony at the International Eucharistic Congress Convention Center forms part of the Department of Education's Expanded Career Progression (ECP) system, which aims to promote 100,000 teachers nationwide this year.

Marcos said the reform was introduced to correct longstanding issues in the education sector, where teachers often waited decades for career advancement.

"It took 10 to 20 years for a teacher to progress from ...