Edcom Urges DepEd to Reassess SDO Policy
MANILA, Philippines — The Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) has called for a review of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) policy regarding the establishment of school division offices (SDO) after discovering an uneven distribution of these offices across the country.
According to Edcom 2, its own study revealed significant disparities in the number of schools each of the more than 200 SDOs supports and supervises. This imbalance has led to unequal access to resources, personnel, and support for public schools nationwide.
The commission is urging the DepEd to reevaluate Republic Act No. 9155, also known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, which established the current framework for SDOs. Section 7 of the law states that an SDO should consist of a province or city with a designated schools division superintendent. These officials are responsible for hiring and evaluating all division supervisors, school district supervisors, and both teaching and non-teaching staff.
Despite this legal provision, Edcom 2 found notable differences in the number of schools managed by various SDOs. For example, Leyte’s SDO oversees 1,363 schools, while Caloocan City’s SDO manages only 319. Similarly, Cebu province, the largest SDO in the country, supervises 1,346 schools, whereas Batanes’ smallest SDO handles just 28 schools.
Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo, co-chairperson of Edcom 2, raised concerns during a recent hearing about whether the DepEd has plans to address these disparities. He asked if the department intends to create new SDOs, possibly through a new law, or if it can make changes under the existing framework.
The DepEd responded that current laws restrict them from establishing new SDOs, even if provinces or cities have seen an increase in student population or the number of schools within their jurisdictions. RA 9155 also grants the DepEd Central Office authority over national education policies and standards, while regional offices ensure compliance with these guidelines.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who attended the hearing, highlighted the challenge of managing a large number of schools under a single SDO. He noted that overseeing 1,300 schools is too much for one official to handle effectively.
Romulo then urged Angara to have the DepEd submit recommendations for amending RA 9155 and provide budgetary support for any necessary changes. He also requested that the DepEd propose ways to redistribute the schools supervised by SDOs.
This issue underscores the need for a comprehensive review of the current SDO structure to ensure equitable resource distribution and effective oversight of public schools across the country.
