The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday underscored the need to prioritize the promotion and reclassification of certain positions in public schools to realize the 1:1 principal-to-school policy.

In a statement, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the challenge of school head shortage may be addressed through the promotion and reclassification of qualified head teachers and teachers-in-charge for formal school head positions.

“Gagawa tayo at mag-dedeploy ng School Principal items sa mga paaralan na wala nito. Sa kasalukuyang patakaran natin, hindi (We will create and deploy school principal items in schools lacking such positions. To date, the current policy, it’s not) automatic one school head per one school,” he said.

Angara also cited the need to develop a strategy to reallocate qualified school head applicants from areas with oversupply to those with shortage.

“Kailangan din natin makita ang overall distribution… Paano ma-i-distribute ito (We need to see the overall distribution… How will this be distributed) while being fair to the principal applicant?” he added.

The DepEd, meanwhile, is planning to decentralize the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) with uniform standards in all regions, increase intervals of NQESH, and expand targeted training for aspiring school leaders under the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP).

To date, about 24,916 public schools lack principals based on the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) Year 2 report. (PNA)