UP TO 50% OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE WITHOUT PRINCIPAL – GATCHALIAN

SENATE President Win Gatchalian flagged the persistent shortage of principals in public schools, claiming that up to 50% or 23,000 of the country’s 45,928 public schools remain without a principal.

The Department of Education  (DepEd) requested an additional P10.52 billion to create 14,126 School Principal I positions.

“Next year, this is the problem: there is no budget for the creation of principal positions. This is something that we’re trying to solve in terms of operations,” said Gatchalian during a recent budget hearing on DepEd and its attached agencies’ proposed budget for 2027.

Emphasizing the need to address this shortage, the Senate President underscored the importance of having principals in public schools as they usually provide leadership and boost the morale of teachers.

According to Education Undersecretary Wilfredo Cabral, some principal positions can be filled through reclassification of Head Teachers and Teachers-in-Charge under the Expanded Career Progression System, which received P12.09 billion under the National Expenditure Program.