The Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines has announced plans to appoint more than 15,000 qualified educators as school principals this year. This initiative, revealed on February 11, 2025, aims to tackle the significant shortage of school heads, with over half of the nation’s public schools currently operating without a principal, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the urgency of the situation, likening principals to the ‘brains’ of schools. He assured that the department is actively working to resolve this issue. The new principals will be selected from the 7,916 individuals who passed the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) in 2024.
Additional measures include the reassignment of existing principals to schools where they are needed most, and the reclassification of various head teacher positions into principal roles. Specifically, around 14,761 Head Teachers I to V will be reclassified as School Principal I, and 954 Head Teachers VI and Assistant School Principal II will be retitled as School Principal I. These changes are part of the Expanded Career Progression policy.
Looking ahead, DepEd plans to create an additional 5,870 School Principal I positions in 2026 to move closer to a 1:1 principal-to-school ratio across the country.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted the critical role of teachers in his last State of the Nation Address, describing them as the foundation of the educational system and essential to the vitality of every classroom.