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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
February 13, 2025 | 6:52pm
Students of the Marikina Elementary School in Marikina City attend a two-hour class orientation before the formal school opening on August 23, 2023.
STAR / Walter Bollozos
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday told the Department of Education (DepEd) to deploy principals to schools that have been without an academic head for the longest.
Gatchalian, who is the co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission (EDCOMM II), said that 24,916 of schools are without a principal. This translates to about 24,916 of public schools in the Philippines.
Gatchalian said that as long as these schools operate without principals, the schools do not have a strong leadership.
“We remain committed to working closely with the Department of Education to ensure that the recruitment and deployment of principals are based on merit and competency, prioritizing schools that have long lacked permanent leadership,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
Gatchalian also said that it was vital to have clear career paths for the teachers who want higher positions.
“A well-trained principal can make a huge difference in a school's performance. We must ensure they have the necessary skills and resources to lead effectively,” Gatchalian said.
The DepEd recently pledged to deploy 15,000 qualified teachers as principals following the EDCOM II’s finding that more than half of the country’s public schools do not have principals.
The report said that the shortage of principals in the country is driven by low passing rates for the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH).
The DepEd said that it will deploy the current pool of qualified teachers. As of 2024, there are 7,916 NQESH passers.
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," DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement.
Another measure that the DepEd has vowed to undertake is implementing the Expanded Career Progression Policy, which will reclassify 14,761 Head Teachers as School Principal I.
The DepEd also promised that the NQESH will be refocused for competency assessment as a means to determine intervention and capacity building. The test will also be decentralized to regional levels.
