What Is the Carrera Publica Magisterial Under Ley 29944?

The Carrera Publica Magisterial (CPM) is the career structure Ley No 29944, the Ley de Reforma Magisterial, created for every appointed teacher in Peru’s public basic education system. The law organizes teachers into eight escalas magisteriales, and it ties pay, teaching load and seniority to whichever scale a teacher currently holds.

What does Ley No 29944 actually establish?

Ley No 29944 is the Ley de Reforma Magisterial, and it sets the legal framework for how teachers enter, are evaluated inside, and advance through Peru’s public teaching career, replacing an earlier, separate legal regime for teachers. It is administered nationally by the Ministerio de Educacion (MINEDU) through its Direccion General de Desarrollo Docente, which publishes the resoluciones vice ministeriales that reopen and set the rules for each year’s competitions.

How many escalas does the CPM have, and what do they decide?

Eight, numbered Primera through Octava Escala Magisterial, each with its own minimum permanence time and its own index within the Remuneracion Integra Mensual (RIM), the base salary formula. The full structure is covered in how many escalas magisteriales there are, and the reported 2026 salary figures by scale are in sueldo docente por escala.

How does a teacher enter the CPM, and how do they move up inside it?

A teacher enters through nombramiento, the competition that converts a docente contratado into a permanently appointed teacher placed at the Primera Escala Magisterial. From there, moving to a higher escala happens only through Ascenso Docente, the annual competition described on the Ascenso Docente exam page, which requires meeting a minimum permanence time in the current scale and having already passed the evaluacion de desempeño docente tied to it. The distinction between the two processes is covered in nombramiento versus ascenso.

Does the law also govern evaluation of teacher performance?

Yes. Ley No 29944 requires periodic evaluation of teachers, and the evaluacion de desempeño docente, a classroom observation process scored through standardized rubrics applied by certified observers, is the mechanism used to check practice at each escala, with a passing result required before a teacher can compete to move up. See what the evaluacion de desempeño involves for how that process works.

Does every CPM teacher eventually reach the top escala?

Not automatically. Reaching the Octava Escala Magisterial, the top of the ladder, requires accumulating the required permanence time at every prior scale and winning a place in each successive Ascenso Docente competition along the way, since the law does not allow skipping a scale. A teacher’s specific requirements at their current escala are covered in requisitos para el ascenso de escala.

FAQ

What law created Peru’s Carrera Publica Magisterial? Ley No 29944, the Ley de Reforma Magisterial, published in 2012.

Which ministry administers the CPM? The Ministerio de Educacion (MINEDU), through its Direccion General de Desarrollo Docente.

How many escalas magisteriales exist under this law? Eight, numbered Primera through Octava Escala Magisterial.

What is the difference between entering the CPM and moving up inside it? Entering happens through nombramiento; moving up happens only through the annual Ascenso Docente competition, and a teacher must complete nombramiento before ascenso is even an option.

Does Ley No 29944 also cover teacher evaluation? Yes, it requires periodic performance evaluation, including the evaluacion de desempeño docente that a teacher must pass for their current escala before applying to move up.