The Brigada Eskwela Manual for School Heads is the Department of Education’s guide to running Brigada Eskwela, the yearly school maintenance week, in a public school. DepEd’s Adopt-a-School Program wrote it in 2008: the Regional Adopt-a-School Program Coordinators prepared it with DepEd’s National Secretariat and consultants. DepEd Memorandum No. 192, s. 2009, dated April 27, 2009, had the regions reproduce it and give a copy to every public school before that year’s Brigada Eskwela, set for May 18 to 22, 2009, “To systematize the operations of Brigada Eskwela (BE) down to the school level.” DepEd also lists it on its Publications page.
The download is the manual as an 18-page PDF: the cover, the contents, the preface and background, the three stages, and the page that opens the appendices. The appendices themselves are not in it. DepEd’s copy of DM 192, s. 2009 includes the seven BE Forms (Appendices B to H), which the yearly guidelines no longer prescribe, and the guide to valuing volunteer labor (Appendix I).
Is the 2008 manual still current?
Partly. As of November 8, 2026, the program it serves is still required: DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2008 made Brigada Eskwela a yearly program in which every public school takes part, and it is still in force. The manual is guidance, not an issuance, and each year’s guidelines govern where the two differ. The 2026 Brigada Eskwela ran from June 1 to 5, 2026 under DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026, which keeps the manual’s three stages and gives its working committees the same five jobs; DM 035, s. 2026 added rules for TUPAD workers. The school calendar in DO 009, s. 2026 sets the 2027 Brigada Eskwela for June 7 to 11, 2027, and DepEd issues new guidelines each year.
Where the manual and the 2026 rules differ, follow the 2026 rules:
- Dates and reports. The manual holds the week in the third week of May, has BE Forms 01 and 02 sent to the division’s Adopt-a-School Program coordinator by February 14, and has the accomplishment report reach the district supervisor by June 15. In 2026 schools filed their Brigada Eskwela Report in the DepEd Partnerships Database System (DPDS) by July 6.
- Volunteers. The manual counts on “the complete attendance and participation of teachers”. DM 027 makes all Brigada Eskwela work “voluntary in nature”, and school personnel may not require parents and learners to take part in exchange for extra points in grades.
- Money. The manual has schools convert cash donations into materials. DM 027 strictly prohibits school heads, teachers and other personnel from soliciting or collecting any contribution, including Brigada Eskwela fees; donated money follows the deposit route of DO 24, s. 2016.
What the manual covers
- Preface and background: how DepEd launched Brigada Eskwela, the National Schools Maintenance Week, in May 2003, and the Adopt-a-School Act (RA 8525) behind it.
- Part I, pre-implementation: a Brigada Eskwela Steering Committee chaired by the school head, with the PTCA president as co-chair, and five working committees (advocacy and marketing, resource mobilization, program implementation, administration and finance, and documentation); the facilities needs assessment from January; advocacy; resource mobilization; and firming up the week’s activities.
- Part II, implementation: days one to five (an opening program, work teams organized by trade, the work plan, daily records, and a debriefing at the end of each day) and day six (a final inspection and a closing program with pledges of commitment).
- Part III, post-implementation: the school accomplishment report, its route from the district to the Central Office, and sustaining the partnerships after the week.
The appendices and what replaced them
The contents list 16 appendices: DO 24, s. 2008 (A), BE Forms 01 to 07 (B to H), the guide to computing the cost of volunteer labor (I), sample letters and programs (J to M), RA 8525 and Revenue Regulations No. 10-2003 (N), and templates for a memorandum of agreement and a deed of donation (O and P). In 2026, DM 027, s. 2026 asked for these instead; it gives templates only for the checklist and the two property forms, so Forms 04 to 06 can still serve as layouts:
| Manual form | What applied in 2026 |
|---|---|
| BE Form 01, Physical Facilities Repair and Maintenance Needs Assessment | The School Preparedness Checklist (DM 027, Annex A) |
| BE Form 02, School Work Plan | The school’s Brigada Eskwela plan, aligned with the SIP and AIP |
| BE Form 03, Resource Mobilization Form | Brigada Eskwela Packages and an MOU or MOA with each partner |
| BE Form 04, Daily Attendance of Volunteers | A volunteer registration form and daily attendance |
| BE Form 05, Record of Donations Received | A registry of donations, with an Inventory Custodian Slip or Property Acknowledgment Receipt (Annexes C and D) |
| BE Form 06, Daily Accomplishment Report | A daily accomplishment report |
| BE Form 07, School Accomplishment Report | The Brigada Eskwela Report in the DPDS |
Why it matters for aspiring school heads
Brigada Eskwela serves Domain 5 of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH, DO 024, s. 2020), Building Connections: strand 5.5, community engagement, whose first two indicators ask a school head to involve “the community, such as parents, alumni, authorities, industries and other stakeholders” in school programs (5.5.1) and to initiate partnerships with it (5.5.2). The needs assessment and the repairs draw on Domain 2, Managing School Operations and Resources: strands 2.3 (school facilities and equipment) and 2.5 (school safety for disaster preparedness, mitigation and resiliency).
For the rules that apply now, stage by stage, read the Brigada Eskwela guide for school heads. The School Governance Council and PTA guide covers the partners, and the Educational Facilities Manual guide covers the repairs that go beyond what volunteers may do.