RA 9155 Duties of DepEd School Heads: 12 Areas Explained

Republic Act (RA) No. 9155, the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, gives every public school head authority, accountability and responsibility for 12 areas in Section 7(E). Below, each area is explained in plain language, with a public school example and the strands of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH) that it supports. The strands come from all five PPSSH domains.

It is written for teachers preparing for the National Assessment for School Heads (NASH, formerly the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads or NQESH) and for newly designated school heads. The Department of Education (DepEd) adopted the PPSSH through DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020. At Career Stage 1, it expects aspiring school heads to show “basic knowledge and understanding of the authority, responsibility, and accountability expected of school heads”. The 12 areas also appear in current DepEd policy, from school-based management to the 2024 orders on teachers’ administrative work.

Key points

• The law makes the school head both an instructional leader and an administrative manager. Section 7(E) of RA 9155 requires a school head for every public elementary and high school, or cluster of schools. That person holds 12 areas of authority, accountability and responsibility.
• The school head recommends staff but does not hire them. Item 8 gives the school head the power to recommend the school’s staffing complement. Section 7(C) gives the hiring and placing of all division employees, school heads included, to the schools division superintendent.
• Donations are allowed for three purposes only, and they must be reported. The purposes are upgrading teachers’ competencies, improving and expanding school facilities, and providing instructional materials and equipment. The school head reports each donation to the district supervisor and the division superintendent.
• The school head answers for learning outcomes, not only for running the curriculum. Item 3 reads “Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning outcomes”.
• Every area works within “the national educational policies, plans and standards”. For example, DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013 makes the DepEd vision, mission and core values the only ones that schools adopt.
• Current DepEd orders put the 12 areas into practice. DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024, on school-based management (SBM), makes the school head the School SBM Coordinator, a role that cannot be delegated. DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024 gives administrative tasks to school heads and non-teaching staff, not to teachers.

What RA 9155 is and why it governs the school head’s job

RA 9155 is the law that sets how basic education is governed in the Philippines. It lapsed into law on August 11, 2001 without the President’s signature. It renamed the Department of Education, Culture and Sports as the Department of Education and set out who holds authority at each level of the system.

The law puts the school at the center. Its declaration of policy says: “The school shall be the heart of the formal education system. It is where children learn”. It adds that “Schools and learning centers shall be empowered to make decisions on what is best for the learners they serve”. Section 3(a) states that the framework shall “establish authority, accountability and responsibility for achieving higher learning outcomes”.

Section 5 sets the principles of shared governance. Every unit of the education bureaucracy has its own role and is “principally accountable for outcomes”, and decisions follow democratic consultation. Section 5(c) adds: “The principles of accountability and transparency shall be operationalized in the performance of functions and responsibilities at all levels”. Section 6 then vests DepEd itself with “authority, accountability and responsibility for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education”.

Section 7 divides that authority across five levels. The school level is the last of them, so a school head’s 12 areas sit inside the duties of the offices above the school.

The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Act were issued by DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003, dated January 6, 2003. Rule VI of the IRR covers the school head. It repeats the 12 areas with a few changes, shown later in this guide.

What has happened to the law’s promise of shared governance in its first 25 years, as EDCOM II assesses it, is the subject of RA 9155 at 25: Why Shared Governance Has Not Happened.

Who is a school head under RA 9155

Section 4(m) of RA 9155 defines a school head as “a person responsible for the administrative and instructional supervision of the school or cluster of schools”. The first paragraph of Section 7(E) then sets three rules on where school heads are needed:

1. “There shall be a school head for all public elementary schools and public high schools or a cluster thereof”. A cluster is a group of geographically contiguous schools brought together to improve learning outcomes (Section 4(c)).
2. “The establishment of integrated schools from existing public elementary and public high schools shall be encouraged”. An integrated school offers complete basic education on one site with unified instructional programs (Section 4(f)).
3. The school head “may be assisted by an assistant school head”.

The law requires a school head, not a principal’s position. The IRR names “The principals, school administrators and teachers-in-charge” and calls them “collectively” school heads. Current DepEd orders say the same. DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 defines the school head as “the person responsible and accountable for the administrative management and instructional supervision of the school or cluster of schools”. Where there is no principal, it includes a teacher-in-charge (TIC), officer-in-charge, master teacher or other person officially designated by the schools division superintendent.

DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 and DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024 both treat a duly designated TIC as a school head. DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 requires a designation order from the schools division superintendent that specifies the TIC’s “duties and functions, authority, accountability, and responsibility”. It adds that TICs “shall be relieved of teaching and other related duties and perform fully the function of a school head”. A TIC may carry a teaching load only in the exigency of service, after every teacher in the school already has the maximum overload of two hours.

This matters because many public schools have no principal. In DepEd’s SY 2023-2024 personnel data, 28.5% of public schools report no school leadership position at all, as the report on principals and head teachers shows. In those schools, the 12 areas fall on a designated teacher.

Who holds the post in a particular school (a principal, a head teacher or a designated teacher-in-charge) and what each may sign is explained in Principal, Head Teacher or Teacher-in-Charge in DepEd.

Instructional leader and administrative manager

The second paragraph of Section 7(E) describes the school head’s two roles and the people who work with the school head:

“The school head, who may be assisted by an assistant school head, shall be both an instructional leader and administrative manager. The school head shall form a team with the school teachers/learning facilitators for delivery of quality educational programs, projects and services. A core of non-teaching staff shall handle the school’s administrative, fiscal and auxiliary services”.

As instructional leader, the school head is responsible for what learners learn: the curriculum, teaching quality, teacher growth and learning results. As administrative manager, the school head is responsible for the conditions that make teaching possible: staff, money, buildings, equipment, records and partnerships. The law says “both”, so neither role can be dropped. The IRR uses the same pairing: school heads “must exercise instructional leadership and sound administrative management of the school”.

The paragraph also sets a division of labor. Teachers form a team with the school head to deliver programs, and a core of non-teaching staff handles administrative, fiscal and auxiliary services. DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024 returns to this design. It says administrative tasks “shall be performed by School Heads and non-teaching personnel”. Its list covers personnel administration, property and physical facilities custodianship, general administrative support, financial management and records management. It also covers program management, such as feeding and school disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).

The PPSSH uses the law’s words in its career stages. Career Stage 1 school heads “have also acquired the minimum qualifications to perform their functions as instructional leaders and administrative managers”. At Career Stage 2 they are “professionally independent” in those functions, and at Career Stage 4 they “model the highest standards of practice”. The companion guide on leadership vs management for school heads works through the two roles with school scenarios.

Authority, accountability and responsibility: what the three words mean

RA 9155 uses the three words together but does not define them. In plain terms, they describe three parts of the same duty.

The same three words appear at every level of Section 7: for the Secretary, the regional director, the schools division superintendent and the school head. The school head’s accountability is therefore part of the accountability of each office above the school, up to the Secretary. It is not a personal arrangement between a school head and a supervisor.

The PPSSH turns the idea into a principle on accountability and transparency, citing Section 5 of RA 9155. School heads “acknowledge and assume responsibility and have the obligation to report, explain, and be answerable for their actions, products, decisions and policies”. The PPSSH also says that school heads have “the authority, responsibility and accountability for taking care of people in schools (people effectiveness) while maximizing organizational performance and health (school effectiveness)”.

The 12 areas of responsibility in RA 9155, Section 7(E)

The third paragraph of Section 7(E) reads: “Consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards, the school heads shall have authority, accountability and responsibility for the following:”. The 12 items, in the words of the Act, are:

1. “Setting the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the school;”
2. “Creating an environment within the school that is conducive to teaching and learning;”
3. “Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning outcomes;”
4. “Developing the school education program and school improvement plan;”
5. “Offering educational programs, projects and services which provide equitable opportunities for all learners in the community;”
6. “Introducing new and innovative modes of instruction to achieve higher learning outcomes;”
7. “Administering and managing all personnel, physical and fiscal resources of the school;”
8. “Recommending the staffing complement of the school based on its needs;”
9. “Encouraging staff development;”
10. “Establishing school and community networks and encouraging the active participation of teachers organizations, non-academic personnel of public schools, and parents-teachers-community associations;”
11. “Accepting donations, gifts, bequests and grants for the purpose of upgrading teachers’/learning facilitators’ competencies, improving and expanding school facilities and providing instructional materials and equipment. Such donations or grants must be reported to the appropriate district supervisors and division superintendents; and”
12. “Performing such other functions as may be assigned by proper authorities.”

The table restates each area in plain language and names the PPSSH strands it supports.

1. Setting the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the school

This area does not let a school write its own vision and mission in place of DepEd’s. DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013 adopted the DepEd vision, mission and core values (VMV). It states: “In promoting ‘One DepEd’, the official DepEd VMV shall be the only vision, mission, and core values adopted by all offices and schools”. The core values are Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makakalikasan and Makabansa. The vision begins: “We dream of Filipinos who passionately love their country and whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential”.

In practice, the school head makes the DepEd vision, mission and core values the school’s own and sets school goals and objectives that pursue them. Example: the school head of a coastal elementary school in Samar sets an objective with the planning team. Every Grade 3 learner should read at grade level by the end of the school year. They explain how the objective serves the mission’s aim of “quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education”.

2. Creating an environment within the school that is conducive to teaching and learning

The DepEd mission describes this area in two of its clauses. One reads: “Students learn in a child-friendly, gender-sensitive, safe, and motivating environment”. The other reads: “Administrators and staff, as stewards of the institution, ensure an enabling and supportive environment for effective learning to happen”. The school head is one of those administrators.

Example: the school head of a crowded city high school works with the child protection committee on bullying reports. The school head also keeps the DRRM plan current and arranges a quiet space for learners who need support. The SBM self-assessment checklist of DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 asks about the same things. Its indicators include zero bullying, zero child abuse, a functional child-protection committee, a functional DRRM plan and a support mechanism for mental wellness.

3. Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning outcomes

This area has two duties. The first is to put the curriculum DepEd prescribes into practice in every class. The second is to answer for what learners actually learn. The IRR adds “monitoring and assessing” to “implementing”, which makes the school head’s checking role explicit.

Example: a school head in Negros Occidental reviews reading assessment results by section after each periodic test. Grade 4 is behind, so the school head plans remediation with the Grade 4 teachers and reports the results to parents at the next meeting. The SBM checklist uses outcome indicators of this kind, such as whether Grade 3 learners reach the proficiency level in early language, literacy and numeracy skills.

4. Developing the school education program and school improvement plan

The school education program is the set of programs the school offers. The school improvement plan (SIP) is the multi-year plan for improving the school’s results. DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 lists DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2015 among its references. That order is the Guidelines on the Enhanced School Improvement Planning (SIP) Process and the School Report Card (SRC). The school improvement plan guide in this series covers the steps.

Example: the planning team of a Bukidnon elementary school uses five years of enrollment, reading and dropout data to choose its priority improvement areas. The plan also limits the extra roles that teachers may hold. DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 allows teaching-related assignments, such as school coordinator for reading and numeracy, “provided that developmental programs are included in the School Improvement Plan (SIP)”.

5. Offering educational programs with equitable opportunities for all learners

The phrase “all learners in the community” includes children and adults who are not in the school’s classrooms. Equitable means that the school gives more support to those who need more, such as learners with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples learners and out-of-school youth.

Example: a national high school in Mindanao opens a school-based Alternative Learning System (ALS) class for out-of-school youth in its barangay. The SBM checklist asks whether the school gives the disadvantaged, out-of-school youth and adult learners access to learning experiences. It also asks whether the school has a functional school-based ALS program.

6. Introducing new and innovative modes of instruction to achieve higher learning outcomes

The innovation the law asks for has a purpose: higher learning outcomes. A new method is worth keeping only if results show it works. It must also stay within the national curriculum and standards, because the whole list operates within “the national educational policies, plans and standards”.

Example: two Grade 5 teachers try peer tutoring in reading for one quarter while two other sections continue as before. The school head and the teachers compare the results in a learning action cell (LAC) session and decide whether to extend the method to other sections.

7. Administering and managing personnel, physical and fiscal resources

This is the administrative manager’s main area: people, facilities and equipment, and money, including the school’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE). The SBM checklist sets two financial markers for it: a 75-100% utilization rate of the school’s MOOE, and liquidation of 100% of the MOOE the school used.

Example: a school head in Iloilo matches the MOOE spending plan to the SIP priorities. The property custodian updates the inventory, and the school head checks that teaching loads are fair. The PPSSH guide to Domain 2, Managing School Operations and the school MOOE guide cover this area in detail.

This authority has limits. In Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon v. Dionisio (2017), a principal who leased part of a school site owned by the province without authority, could not show with official receipts how the advance rent and “donations” were spent, and held no bidding was dismissed for grave misconduct; see Dishonesty and Grave Misconduct: Cases on Principals.

8. Recommending the staffing complement of the school based on its needs

The verb is “recommending”. The school head states, with evidence, how many teachers and non-teaching staff the school needs. Section 7(C)(3) gives the schools division superintendent authority for “Hiring, placing and evaluating” all employees in the division, “including school heads”. Section 7(B)(8) gives the regional director the approval of the staffing pattern of the divisions and districts.

Example: a school head in Cavite whose enrollment has grown for three years recommends two more teacher positions and an administrative officer. The recommendation uses the electronic School Form 7 (eSF7), the school personnel assignment list. DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 says the eSF7 “shall serve as basis for future management action and decision on workload assignments or request for additional manpower”.

A recommendation is not the final act. When a principal recommended moving an excess teacher, the Supreme Court set aside an order to discipline her, calling her “a purely recommendatory authority” (Orcino v. Civil Service Commission, 1990); see Oppression Cases: How Principals Must Treat Teachers.

9. Encouraging staff development

The IRR words this area as “Encouraging and enhancing staff development”. Among the school head’s duties, DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 lists: “Continuously provides opportunities for teachers to develop professionally”.

Example: a school head finds from classroom observations that many teachers struggle with item analysis. The school head schedules LAC sessions on it, pairs new teachers with experienced ones, and recommends two teachers for division training. The SBM checklist asks whether the school conducts needs-based LAC and learning and development activities. The learning action cell guide explains how LACs work.

10. Establishing school and community networks

The law names three groups the school head must draw in: teachers’ organizations, non-teaching personnel, and parents-teachers-community associations. The SBM checklist asks whether the school has a functional School Governance Council (SGC) and a functional Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). It also asks whether the school collaborates with stakeholders and other schools.

Example: a school head in Pangasinan meets the barangay council and the alumni association on the school’s reading program. The barangay funds a reading corner, the alumni volunteer as reading buddies, and the PTA tracks the program with the teachers.

11. Accepting donations, gifts, bequests and grants

The school head has authority to accept donations, but only for three purposes. They are upgrading the competencies of teachers, improving and expanding school facilities, and providing instructional materials and equipment. The law then makes reporting a duty: donations “must be reported to the appropriate district supervisors and division superintendents”.

Example: a rural bank offers 30 tablets for a Grade 7 reading program. The school head accepts them for instructional equipment, has them entered in the school’s property records, and reports the donation to the district supervisor and the division superintendent.

The two offices named in item 11 have different roles. Under Section 7(D), the schools district supervisor provides “professional and instructional advice and support to the school heads” and “Curricula supervision”. The IRR adds that the district supervisor “shall primarily perform staff functions and shall not exercise administrative supervision over school principals, unless specifically authorized by the proper authorities”. Under Section 7(C), the division superintendent supervises the operations of all schools in the division. DepEd’s SY 2023-2024 data put a median of 17 schools in each district, as the report on schools per district supervisor shows.

Calling money a donation does not excuse the rules on receipts and procurement, as Dionisio (2017, above) shows.

12. Performing other functions assigned by proper authorities

The IRR says who the proper authorities are: functions “assigned by the Secretary, Regional Director and Schools Division Superintendents where they belong”. This area makes the list open, but only to assignments from the line of authority above the school.

Example: DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 assigns the school head the role of School SBM Coordinator. It adds that this function “shall not be delegated nor reassigned, especially to any teaching personnel”. A school head who hands the SBM self-assessment to a teacher goes against that order.

How the IRR words the 12 areas

Rule VI, Section 6.2 of the IRR repeats the list with five differences. An implementing rule cannot narrow the law it implements. Where the two texts differ, a school head can meet both, for example by reporting donations to the district supervisor and to the division superintendent.

Points readers often get wrong about RA 9155

The school head recommends staff; the division hires them

Item 8 gives the school head a recommending power, not an appointing power. The schools division superintendent hires, places and evaluates teaching and non-teaching staff, and the regional director approves the staffing pattern. A school head who promises a teaching item to an applicant acts outside the law’s grant.

The recommending power is still real. A recommendation built on accurate enrollment, class sizes and an up-to-date eSF7 gives the division what it needs to act. For non-teaching staff, DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024 adds another route. Schools and Schools Division Offices (SDOs) may hire Contract of Service (COS) or Job Order (JO) personnel, charged to MOOE or other sources.

Donations: three purposes, and a duty to report

The three purposes are a closed list. A donation used for a faculty outing, for prizes, or for anything outside teacher competencies, facilities, or instructional materials and equipment falls outside the school head’s authority. The reporting duty applies to every donation and grant the school accepts, not only to large ones or to those the division asks about.

The IRR adds that donations are accepted “in accordance with existing laws and policy of the Department”. Before accepting a large or unusual donation, ask the division office which DepEd rules on donations and partnerships apply. Recording the item also falls under PPSSH indicator 2.3.1, which covers “acquisition, recording, utilization, repair and maintenance, storage, and disposal” of school facilities and equipment.

Accountable for learning outcomes, not only for running the curriculum

A school head who reports only that the school followed the curriculum guide has met half of item 3. The law adds “being accountable for higher learning outcomes”, and item 6 links even innovation to “higher learning outcomes”. The phrase also appears in Section 3(a) as the purpose of the whole Act.

Accountability for outcomes means that the school head watches results, acts on them, and reports them. It does not mean that the school head alone causes them. Section 5 makes every unit “principally accountable for outcomes” of its own role, so teachers, the division and the school head each answer for their part.

National policies, plans and standards set the limits

The 12 areas give the school head real authority, but the opening condition of Section 7(E) places it inside national policy. The regional director and the schools division superintendent work under the same condition. The vision and mission example shows how this works. The school sets its own goals and objectives, but it adopts the DepEd vision, mission and core values under DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013.

The same logic applies to innovation, school programs and resource use. Within the rules, a school may adapt how it teaches, which programs it offers and how it spends. It may not set aside a DepEd standard or issuance. PPSSH indicator 1.3.1 tests exactly this: knowing how to keep “school operations” consistent “with national and local laws, regulations and issuances”.

How the 12 areas show up in current DepEd policy

Several DepEd issuances turn the 12 areas into specific duties. The table lists those that speak directly to the school head.

School-based management under DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024

DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 bases the revised School-Based Management (SBM) system on RA 9155. Its policy statement says: “This Policy on School-Based Management is in line with the provisions of the Republic Act (RA) 9155”. Its rationale adds that “School heads, in consultation with internal and external stakeholders, are provided the opportunity to address and decide on issues and concerns directly involving day-to-day school operations”.

The order organizes school operations into six SBM dimensions. Each one matches some of the 12 areas.

The order also removed a burden. It says that “the prior practice of attaching various means of verification as documentary evidence to attest to the level of practice is no longer necessary”. The SBM Self-Assessment Checklist in its Annex A is the record. The school-based management guide in this series explains the process.

Administrative work and teaching loads under DepEd Orders No. 002 and No. 005, s. 2024

DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024 gives school heads and non-teaching personnel “the sole responsibility to perform the administrative tasks” it lists. Where a school lacks non-teaching staff, SDOs may cluster deployed non-teaching personnel, and SDOs and schools may hire COS or JO personnel. The school head ensures “strict compliance with the prescribed workload of teachers using eSF7”.

Under DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, the school head ensures the “fair, reasonable, and equitable distribution of teaching workload and overload”. The same duty covers teaching-related assignments and other teacher workload, and the tool is the eSF7. A teaching-related assignment needs “a designation order from the school head duly concurred by the teacher concerned”. The school then sends the list of designated teachers to the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent for approval. The guide to planning teaching loads under DO 5 walks through the start-of-year steps.

What the school head does: who does what, and in what order

The 12 areas run through the whole school year. The sequence below follows the calendar that DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 recommends for SBM, with the document used at each step.

1. Near the end of the school year, lead the SBM self-assessment. Invite internal and external stakeholders and rate each indicator on the SBM Self-Assessment Checklist (Annex A of DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024). Areas 1 to 12.
2. During the learners’ vacation, revise the plans. Put the self-assessment results into the school’s strategic plan and its adjusted implementation plan, as DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 directs. Check that the goals pursue the DepEd vision, mission and core values. Areas 1 and 4.
3. Before classes open, assign the work. Prepare class programs and teaching loads in the eSF7, and issue designation orders for teaching-related assignments with each teacher’s concurrence. Send the list to the schools division superintendent. Area 7.
4. Check who does the administrative work. Give administrative tasks to non-teaching staff, not teachers, and ask the SDO about clustering or COS and JO hiring where staff are missing. Area 7.
5. Recommend the staffing complement. Send the division a staffing recommendation based on enrollment, class sizes and the eSF7. Area 8.
6. During the year, monitor learning and support teachers. Review assessment results, run LAC sessions, and invite the SDO’s technical assistance when needed. Areas 2, 3, 6 and 9.
7. Work with the community, and handle donations by the rules. Meet the PTA, the SGC and partners. Accept donations only for the three purposes, record them, and report them. Areas 10 and 11.
8. Manage and report the money. Spend MOOE according to the plan and liquidate what the school uses. Area 7.

RA 9155 and the PPSSH: strands and Career Stage 1 indicators

The PPSSH describes Career Stage 1 school heads as aspiring school heads who “demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the authority, responsibility, and accountability expected of school heads”. The table gives the Career Stage 1 indicators that the 12 areas support, in the words of the PPSSH.

The PPSSH guide lists every indicator at all four career stages. The domain guides in this blog, starting with Domain 1, Leading Strategically, read each strand with DepEd data.

Self-audit: the 12 areas in your own school

This exercise applies PPSSH indicator 4.1.1, “Conduct self-assessment of personal and professional development needs using the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads”. It asks you to compare what your current school does with what you would do as its school head.

1. Copy the table into a notebook or a spreadsheet.
2. For each area, write one line on what your school does now. Use facts you can check, such as a document, a meeting or a number.
3. Write one line on what you would do as school head, within the law and current DepEd orders.
4. Circle the three areas where the gap is largest. Turn them into development goals, which is indicator 4.1.2 at Career Stage 2.

A worked example for area 11:

• Now: The school received 12 electric fans from a local company last year. The fans are in the classrooms, but they are not in the property records and the donation was not reported.
• As school head: I would enter the fans in the property records and report the donation to the district supervisor and the division superintendent. I would also keep a donation log for future gifts.

Practice: how the NASH may test this

DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025 says the NASH covers “conceptual and situational critical thinking questions aligned with” the PPSSH, using the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. On RA 9155, expect conceptual items that ask what the law allows a school head to do. Expect also situational items in which a plausible action goes beyond that authority or falls short of the duty. The three items below are original practice items, not actual or recalled NASH items. Each option is scored 3-2-1-0, as in the NASH practice questions with answers. Timed sets are on the NASH Reviewer assessment page.

Question 1

Indicator 1.1.1, Vision, mission and core values. Career Stage 1, Situational, Moderate.

You are the newly designated school head of a public elementary school. The school planning team proposes to replace the DepEd vision, mission and core values in the school’s documents with a new vision and mission that the team has written. The team points out that Section 7(E) of RA 9155 gives the school head authority for setting the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the school. What is the most appropriate response?

• A. Approve the team’s new vision and mission and remove DepEd’s from the school’s documents, since the law gives the school head authority to set the school’s vision and mission.
• B. Keep the DepEd vision, mission and core values, and ask the team to set school goals and objectives based on the teachers’ own priorities for the coming year.
• C. Keep the DepEd vision, mission and core values as the school’s own, and lead the team in setting goals and objectives that pursue them, based on the school’s data.
• D. Keep the DepEd vision, mission and core values in the documents, and leave the school’s goals and objectives to the division office, which sets targets for its schools.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: C. Points: A = 0, B = 2, C = 3, D = 1.

• A (0 points, Prestructural). This reads item 1 without the condition that opens Section 7(E). DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013 makes the DepEd vision, mission and core values the only ones adopted by all offices and schools, so replacing them is contrary to policy.
• B (2 points, Multistructural). Keeping the DepEd statements and setting school goals are both right. But goals taken from preferences, not from the vision and the school’s evidence, do not show the alignment the indicator asks for.
• C (3 points, Relational). This connects the national vision and mission, the school head’s authority over goals and objectives, and the school’s own data, which is how a school sets direction within national policy.
• D (1 point, Unistructural). Keeping the DepEd statements is right, but leaving the goals to the division gives away an authority that the law assigns to the school head.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 1 expectations because indicator 1.1.1 asks for knowledge of the DepEd vision, mission and core values used to align school programs. RA 9155 grants authority over the school’s mission, vision, goals and objectives only “Consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards”. DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013 is one of those policies. The school’s own share of item 1 is its goals and objectives. The option that keeps the DepEd statements but draws goals from preferences gets the policy right and misses the link between the vision and the goals.

Indicator 1.1.1: Demonstrate knowledge of the DepEd vision, mission and core values to foster shared understanding and alignment of school policies, programs, projects and activities.

Sources: Republic Act No. 9155, Section 7(E); DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020.

Question 2

Indicator 2.4.1, Management of staff. Career Stage 1, Conceptual, Moderate.

Enrollment in a public elementary school grew from 640 to 790 learners in three years, and four classes now have more than 50 learners each. The teachers ask the school head to hire two more teachers right away. Which statement best describes the school head’s authority over staffing under RA 9155?

• A. The school head may hire two teachers directly from the division’s list of qualified applicants, because the law gives school heads authority over all personnel of the school.
• B. The school head has no part in staffing decisions, because the regional director approves the staffing pattern of all divisions and districts, including their schools.
• C. The school head recommends two more teachers using the enrollment data, and the division must then create and fill the two positions within the same school year.
• D. The school head recommends the staffing complement with evidence such as enrollment and class sizes, and the schools division superintendent hires and places the teachers.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: D. Points: A = 0, B = 1, C = 2, D = 3.

• A (0 points, Prestructural). Section 7(C)(3) gives the hiring, placing and evaluating of all division employees to the schools division superintendent. A school head who hires teachers acts outside the law’s grant.
• B (1 point, Unistructural). The regional director does approve the staffing pattern, but this ignores item 8, which gives the school head the role of recommending the staffing complement.
• C (2 points, Multistructural). The recommending role and the use of data are right, but a recommendation does not bind the division. Positions depend on the staffing pattern and on the hiring authority above the school.
• D (3 points, Relational). This places the school head’s recommendation, the evidence behind it and the superintendent’s hiring authority in the order the law sets.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 1 expectations because indicator 2.4.1 asks for knowledge of the laws on managing school staff. RA 9155 gives the school head the power to recommend, the schools division superintendent the power to hire and place, and the regional director the approval of staffing patterns. DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 makes the eSF7 the basis for requests for additional manpower, so an accurate eSF7 is part of a strong recommendation. The option that treats the recommendation as binding gets the school head’s role right but misreads where the decision lies.

Indicator 2.4.1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of laws, policies, guidelines and issuances on managing school staff.

Sources: Republic Act No. 9155, Sections 7(B), 7(C) and 7(E); DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020.

Question 3

Indicator 2.3.1, School facilities and equipment. Career Stage 1, Situational, Moderate.

A rural bank offers your public secondary school 30 tablets for the Grade 7 reading program. At the next meeting, a parent officer suggests raffling five of the tablets among the teachers at the school anniversary as a reward for their service. What is the most appropriate action?

• A. Accept the tablets, raffle five among the teachers at the anniversary as the officer suggests, and use the other 25 tablets for the Grade 7 reading program.
• B. Accept all 30 tablets for the Grade 7 reading program, record them in the school’s property records, and report the donation to the district supervisor and division superintendent.
• C. Accept all 30 tablets for the Grade 7 reading program and record them in the property records, then report them if the division later asks for a list of donations.
• D. Decline the tablets and ask the bank to give them to the division office instead, because only the schools division superintendent may accept donations for a school.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: B. Points: A = 0, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1.

• A (0 points, Prestructural). Giving donated equipment to individual teachers as prizes is not one of the three purposes the law allows. It turns a donation to the school into private gifts.
• B (3 points, Relational). This uses the donation for instructional equipment, records it as the indicator requires, and meets the law’s reporting duty to both offices.
• C (2 points, Multistructural). The purpose and the record are right, but reporting is a duty the law imposes on every donation, not a reply to a request.
• D (1 point, Unistructural). Involving the division shows care, but the law gives the school head the authority to accept donations for the allowed purposes, and declining loses the tablets for learners.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 1 expectations because indicator 2.3.1 asks for knowledge of the rules on acquiring and recording school equipment. Section 7(E)(11) of RA 9155 allows donations only for “upgrading teachers’/learning facilitators’ competencies, improving and expanding school facilities and providing instructional materials and equipment”. It adds that they “must be reported to the appropriate district supervisors and division superintendents”. The option that records the tablets but waits to be asked gets the use right and treats a legal duty as optional.

Indicator 2.3.1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of policies, guidelines and issuances on acquisition, recording, utilization, repair and maintenance, storage, and disposal in managing school facilities and equipment.

Sources: Republic Act No. 9155, Section 7(E); DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003 (IRR), Rule VI; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020.

Frequently asked questions

What are the duties and responsibilities of a school head under RA 9155?

Section 7(E) of RA 9155 gives the school head authority, accountability and responsibility for 12 areas:

1. Setting the school’s mission, vision, goals and objectives
2. Creating an environment conducive to teaching and learning
3. Implementing the curriculum and answering for learning outcomes
4. Developing the school education program and the SIP
5. Offering programs with equitable opportunities for all learners
6. Introducing new and innovative modes of instruction
7. Managing personnel, physical and fiscal resources
8. Recommending the staffing complement
9. Encouraging staff development
10. Building school and community networks
11. Accepting donations for three purposes and reporting them
12. Performing other functions assigned by proper authorities

What is the definition of a school head in RA 9155?

Section 4(m) of RA 9155 defines a school head as “a person responsible for the administrative and instructional supervision of the school or cluster of schools”. Section 7(E) adds that the school head “shall be both an instructional leader and administrative manager”.

Can a school principal hire teachers under RA 9155?

No. A school head recommends the school’s staffing complement under item 8 of Section 7(E). Section 7(C)(3) gives the schools division superintendent authority for hiring, placing and evaluating all employees in the division, including school heads.

Can a public school accept donations under RA 9155?

Yes, the school head may accept donations, gifts, bequests and grants, but only for three purposes. They are upgrading teachers’ competencies, improving and expanding school facilities, and providing instructional materials and equipment. Every donation or grant must be reported to the district supervisor and the division superintendent.

Is a teacher-in-charge a school head in DepEd?

Yes. DepEd Orders No. 002 and No. 005, s. 2024 treat a duly designated teacher-in-charge as a school head. DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024 includes persons officially designated by the schools division superintendent where there is no principal. The IRR of RA 9155 also counts teachers-in-charge among school heads.

More on school leadership

This post is part of a series on what a school head does under the DepEd rules in force today. The other posts, in reading order:

• Leadership vs Management for School Heads: Five Practices
• DepEd Revised SBM: DO 007, s. 2024 and the Self-Assessment
• DepEd School Improvement Plan (SIP): Steps, AIP and SRC
• Root Cause Analysis for the DepEd School Improvement Plan
• Organizational Diagnosis Models in Schools: 7S, SWOT, PESTLE
• Change Management in Schools: A Guide for DepEd School Heads
• DepEd ILAW Lesson Plan, DO 016, s. 2026: School Head’s Role
• DepEd Grading System, DO 015, s. 2026: School Head’s Role
• DepEd Contextualization, Localization and Indigenization
• DepEd Instructional Supervision: Observing and Coaching
• DepEd Learning Action Cell (LAC) Guidelines: DO 35, s. 2016
• DepEd PMES for Teachers: DM 089, s. 2025 for School Heads
• DepEd Enhanced ALS, Inclusive Education and Special Programs
• Human Resource Management for DepEd School Heads
• DepEd School MOOE: Allowable Expenses and Liquidation
• RA 6713 for DepEd School Heads: Ethics and Internal Control
• Leadership Styles of School Heads: What the Evidence Says
• Instructional Leadership for DepEd School Heads
• Principal, Head Teacher or Teacher-in-Charge in DepEd
• OPCRF for DepEd School Heads in 2026: What Applies Now
• RA 9155 at 25: Why Shared Governance Has Not Happened
• On the app: The roles of a school head, the six roles in one guide, and the PPSSH guide

For what the Supreme Court has decided about school heads exercising these powers, from school funds to discipline and learner safety, see Supreme Court Cases on School Heads: A Guide for Principals.

Sources

• Republic Act No. 9155, Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, Sections 2 to 7, Official Gazette (PDF of the Act).
• DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003, Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9155, Rules I, V and VI.
• DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013, Our Department of Education Vision, Mission and Core Values (DepEd VMV).
• DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2015, Guidelines on the Enhanced School Improvement Planning (SIP) Process and the School Report Card (SRC).
• DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020, National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads.
• DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024, Immediate Removal of Administrative Tasks of Public School Teachers.
• DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, Rationalization of Teachers’ Workload in Public Schools and Payment of Teaching Overload.
• DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024, Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the Revised School-Based Management (SBM) System.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025, Administration of the National Assessment for School Heads for Fiscal Year 2025.
• NASH Reviewer data reports: principals and head teachers, SY 2023-2024 and schools per district supervisor, SY 2023-2024.

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: Republic Act No. 9155 (Official Gazette); DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003 (IRR of RA 9155); DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020 and the PPSSH; DepEd Orders No. 002, No. 005 and No. 007, s. 2024; DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025.