Senator Win Gatchalian on Thursday, stressed the importance of immediately updating the existing policies to address the shortage of qualified principals in all public schools.
The expressed urgency came after the Department of Education’s (DepEd) report indicated that more than half of public schools lack qualified principals. To address the said gap, Gatchalian urged the agency to update its existing policies.
During the Second Congressional Commission on Education’s (EDCOM II) hearing, the data presented revealed that 20,718 public schools nationwide have filed for principal positions. The numbers concerned officials as there are currently 45,918 public schools in the country.
"Malaki ang papel na ginagampanan ng mga mahuhusay na punong-guro upang paghusayin ang performance ng ating mga guro at mga mag-aaral. Mahalagang matugunan natin ang kakulangan ng mga punong-guro sa ating mga paaralan, lalo na't makakaapekto ito sa pagsisikap nating iangat ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa," Gatchalian said.
The remaining 24,480 schools only have Teachers-In-Charge who often need more training and support. The 1997 staffing parameters indicated that principals are assigned to elementary schools with nine teachers and secondary schools with six teachers. With that, Undersecretary Wilfredo Cabral assured that the DepEd is in the process of finalizing the new standards, alongside EDCOM II to ensure that each public school has a principal.
Gatchalian also mentioned how the 1999 rotation policy should be revisited, so that principals are required to be transferred to other schools after three to five years. Additionally, Gatchalian also highlighted that principals for each type of school should cater to what the establishment values; adding that Science high schools, for example, need math and science-oriented principals.
Earlier this year, EDCOM II also cited the lack of school principals as one of the main reasons why bullying is prevalent in the country. Gatchalian also called for strengthening and improving the quality of education, so that students will be provided with a safe environment.
