BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

In response to the urgent need for school heads, the Department of Education (DepEd) committed to deploying over 15,000 qualified teachers as principals, issuing guidelines, and updating the existing process of principal hiring in public schools.

“The quality of our education rests on the quality of our teachers. Every classroom that we build will be but an empty and lifeless structure without its moving force—the teacher, but our teachers are not just perfunctory figures in our schools. They are the very foundation of our educational system,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated during his SONA, as affirmation of his mandate of ensuring the prioritization of teacher needs.

According to the Year 2 report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), 55% of public schools in the Philippines operate without principals. This shortage is driven by several factors, including historically low passing rates for the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH), high personnel turnover, an insufficient pipeline of candidates, burdensome qualification processes, and the absence of structured mentoring, coaching, and formal induction programs.

DepEd will implement several key interventions starting this year. The first step is deploying the existing pool of NQESH passers—7,916 as of 2024—to fill vacant principal positions with qualified personnel.

“This pressing issue is an eye-opener. So many of our schools operate without brains—because that’s what our principals are, the brains of our schools. Rest assured, DepEd is taking swift action to address this problem,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

Additionally, DepEd will issue interim guidelines to ensure that principals detailed to offices return to their assigned schools. These guidelines will also facilitate the reassignment of surplus principal positions to schools in need.

As part of this effort and with the implementation of the Expanded Career Progression Policy, DepEd will reclassify 14,761 Head Teachers (I-V) as School Principal I. Meanwhile, 954 Head Teachers VI and Assistant School Principal II positions will be retitled to School Principal I.

Under this process, acting school heads will be prioritized as “on-stream candidates”, ensuring a faster promotion to principal roles. Eligible personnel undergoing retitling will also secure their rightful positions as principals in their designated schools.

Starting 2025, NQESH will be refocused on competency assessment as a basis for intervention and capacity building. NQESH administration shall eventually be decentralized to regional levels as part of system improvement.

By 2026, DepEd will adopt the School Organizational Structure and Staffing Standards (SOSSS), establishing a 1:1 principal-to-school ratio. An additional 5,870 School Principal I positions will also be created to support this initiative.

Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development Wilfredo Cabral ensured that these steps would be closely monitored to ensure their efficiency, following close to the marching order of President Marcos to ensure the well-being of teachers.

“We owe it to our hardworking, and visionary principals who are often overlooked. DepEd recognizes your passion to keep our schools operating and running, thank you for your selfless service,” Usec. Cabral stated.

*All Photos from DepEd