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DepEd eyes 'one principal-one school' policy


DepEd eyes 'one principal-one school' policy

The Department of Education (DepEd) is eyeing to implement a one principal-one school policy in the country amid a Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) report showing that over 24,000 public schools lack school heads.

In a statement issued on Friday, Secretary Sonny Angara said the DepEd is likewise assessing the distribution of qualified principals nationwide.

“Gagawa tayo at mag-dedeploy ng School Principal items sa mga paaralan na wala nito,” said Angara.

(We will deploy school principal items in schools with no school heads.)

“Sa kasalukuyang patakaran natin, hindi automatic na 1 school head per 1 school. Babaguhin natin ito. Basta may school, may principal dapat,” he said.

(Our current policy doesn’t include automatic 1 school head per 1 school deployment. We will change that. There should be a principal for each school.)

According to a recent EDCOM II report, a total of  24,916 public schools in the country has no sitting principals.

Angara said the DepEd is planning to prioritize the promotion and reclassification of qualified Head Teachers and Teachers-in-Charge into formal principal position to address the shortage of school heads.

The Education Department will also assess regions with an oversupply of qualified principal applicants and develop strategies to fairly re-deploy them to areas that do not have school heads.

“Kailangan din natin makita ang overall distribution. Saan may regions na may oversupply ng qualified principals? Paano ma-i-distribute ito while being fair to the principal applicant?,” Angara said.

(We should also see the overall distribution of the manpower. What regions have oversupply of qualified principals and how can we distribute them in a way that would be fair to the applicant.)

School heads play a crucial role in providing instructional leadership, managing school operations, ensuring the effective implementation of policies, and fostering a supportive learning environment that enhances both teacher performance and student outcomes under the country’s education system.

Meanwhile, Angara said the DepEd is setting up a plan for the decentralization of the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) while maintaining a uniform standard across all divisions and regions to improve accessibility for aspiring school leaders.

The Department is likewise in the exploratory stage of offering NQESH at more frequent intervals and expanding targeted training programs under the National Educators Academy of the Philippines to support teachers aspiring for principalship. — BAP, GMA Integrated News

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