MANILA, Philippines 鈥� More than half of public schools in the country have been operating without principals despite policies in place mandating principal plantilla items in each school.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) Year 2 report released on Monday showed that almost 25,000 schools under the Department of Education (DepEd) have no fully designated principals.
According to Edcom, a total of 24,916 schools are without principals, of which 13,332 are headed only by the head teacher; 8,916 schools by teacher in charge (TIC); 2,337 by officer in charge (OIC); and 193 are 鈥渦ndefined.鈥�
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This means that only 20,381 out of the 45,199 schools have sitting principals, although not all had the corresponding plantilla item, according to Edcom.
Of the 20,381 schools with principals, only 18,744 have plantilla items, but 1,381 of these were instead led by head teachers, TIC or OIC, 鈥渦nderscoring challenges in adhering to policy guidelines.鈥�
Edcom also noted 鈥渨idespread inconsistencies鈥� in the allocation of school heads since 12,057 schools have 鈥渋ncorrect school head items.鈥�
鈥淭he issue was especially prevalent among elementary schools, with 8,533 pure elementary schools and 639 schools offering both elementary and junior high levels failing to comply with DepEd policies,鈥� the report noted.
Poor enforcement
The commission cited as an example the Ciudad Nuevo de Naic National High School in Naic, Cavite.
Edcom found that the school was managed by an assistant school principal 鈥渨hose plantilla item was officially allocated to a nearby integrated high school.鈥�
鈥淐ompounding these issues are gaps in data; notably, 193 schools lack recorded school head data, with 65 percent (126 schools) of these being purely elementary. This absence of data poses significant challenges, as it may indicate that there are no allocated school heads in those schools,鈥� the report pointed out.
鈥淥verall, existing DepEd policies governing school head allocation are not being adequately enforced,鈥� it added. 鈥淭he observed inconsistencies in the deployment and designation of school heads across various schools highlight a critical need for DepEd to reevaluate and refine its strategies for assigning school leaders.鈥�
Designating TICs to fill the principal roles in schools, according to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), has been the main problem for most schools, especially in the provinces.
Challenging exams
ACT chair Vladimer Quetua explained that, unlike a sitting principal, temporary school heads have limited access to resources and will have to get approvals from their respective district directors.
鈥淔or budget-related matters, the TIC cannot make a decision on his or her own without relying on the district head. He or she will have to wait even though the concern is an urgent matter [such as] budget and resources for the school,鈥� Quetua told the Inquirer.
Edcom noted several 鈥渂urdens and barriers鈥� to the lack of principals of schools, including the absence of principal plantilla positions and the low passing rate for the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) or the Principals鈥� Test based on the standards of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads.
The commission said only 36.93 percent of the examinees in 2021 were able to move forward in the Principal I position selection process, while the figures in 2018 saw poor performance in the exams, with only 0.64 percent or 148 out of the 23,000 candidates, passing nationwide.
For 2023, Edcom said NQESH recorded a 26-percent passing rate.
鈥淭hese low passing rates suggest that the exam may be excessively challenging, potentially deterring capable candidates from advancing in their careers,鈥� it said.