Strategic human resource management (HRM) runs a school’s people work as one system aimed at the school’s goals, not as separate forms and deadlines. For Philippine government agencies, the Department of Education (DepEd) among them, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) set the framework in 2012 with its Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM). PRIME-HRM grouped an agency’s HR work into four core systems and rated each at four maturity levels, from transactional to strategic. The systems are recruitment, selection and placement (RSP); learning and development (L&D); performance management (PM); and rewards and recognition (R&R). In July 2026 the CSC redesigned the program as PRIME-ESG. The four core systems remain, while the old assessment and award cycle gives way to governance levels measured through a government-wide HR and payroll system.

DepEd’s own HR rules rest on this framework. Its Merit Selection Plan, DepEd Order (DO) No. 019, s. 2022, “reinforces its commitment” to PRIME-HRM. In a school, the four systems meet in the school head’s human resource (HR) action plan: the year’s actions on staffing, staff development, performance and recognition, drawn from the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and from teachers’ development plans.

In the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH), adopted by DO 024, s. 2020, this work falls under strand 2.4, Management of staff, and strands 4.4 to 4.8 of Domain 4, Developing Self and Others. The day-to-day rules on hiring, induction, welfare and awards are in Human Resource Management for DepEd School Heads.

Key findings

  • PRIME-HRM rated four core HR systems at four maturity levels. CSC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 24, s. 2016 names them Transactional, Process-Defined, Integrated and Strategic HRM; at Level 4, “The HR strategy is part of the agency strategy”.
  • The CSC redesigned PRIME-HRM as PRIME-ESG in 2026. The old assessment and award cycle ends, and from 2026 to 2030 governance levels replace maturity levels for agencies enrolled in a government HR and payroll system. Awards already conferred stay valid (CSC Resolution No. 2600988, July 29, 2026; MC No. 11, s. 2026, Annex B, Secs. 7 and 8).
  • DepEd’s last PRIME-HRM target is Level III. Its Central Office received the Bronze Award for Level 2 in all four systems, announced on January 4, 2023. A memorandum of September 4, 2026 still ties a draft revision of DO 2, s. 2015, DepEd’s performance management order, to PRIME-HRM Level III, although PRIME-ESG’s guidelines end the former award cycle (DM-OUHRODI-2026-3701; MC No. 11, s. 2026, Annex B, Sec. 7.1).
  • Each system has current DepEd rules. RSP: DO 019, s. 2022 and DO 007, s. 2023 as amended. PM: DO 2, s. 2015 and, for teachers, the Performance Management and Evaluation System (PMES) of DepEd Memorandum (DM) No. 089, s. 2025. L&D: DO 32, s. 2011, DO 35, s. 2016 and DO 009, s. 2026. R&R: the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) of DO 9, s. 2002 and DO 78, s. 2007.
  • Performance results drive the other three systems. “Performance ratings shall be used as basis for promotion, training and scholarship grants and other personnel actions” (DO 2, s. 2015, paragraph 55).
  • No DepEd order prescribes a school HR action plan. The plans DepEd requires are the SIP and its Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) (DO 44, s. 2015), the School Plan for Professional Development (DO 32, s. 2011) and each teacher’s Individual Development Plan (IDP) (DM 089, s. 2025).
  • Older training materials cite repealed or changed rules. The hiring orders of 2007 to 2016 were repealed (DO 019, s. 2022; DO 007, s. 2023), and teachers are rated under the PMES. During the transition period, professional teachers renew their licenses with 15 continuing professional development (CPD) units, or with a CPD undertaking until December 31, 2026 (PRB-Professional Teachers Resolution No. 31, s. 2019; PRC Resolution No. 2200, s. 2026).

What strategic human resource management means

Human resource management covers all the work of managing people: planning the staff a school needs, hiring and placing them, developing them, appraising their work, recognizing them, and looking after their welfare. HRM becomes strategic under two conditions.

  1. The people work follows the organization’s goals. Patrick Wright and Gary McMahan (1992) defined strategic HRM as the planned pattern of human resource deployments and activities meant to enable an organization to reach its goals. In a public school, the goals are in the SIP, which “shall be anchored on the DepEd vision, mission, core values, strategies, and on Central, Regional, Division, and school goals” (DO 44, s. 2015, SIP Guidebook, guiding principle 1).
  2. The HR practices fit each other. Hiring, development, appraisal and recognition must pull in the same direction. Lloyd Baird and Ilan Meshoulam (1988) called these the external and internal “fits” of strategic HRM. A school that rates every teacher Outstanding, then sends half of them to remedial training, has practices that contradict each other.

The CSC describes the same shift. When it adopted PRIME-HRM’s maturity indicators, it cited its “thrust to transform HR from its administrative and transactional orientation to being strategic” (CSC Resolution No. 1400376, March 5, 2014).

Area Transactional HR in a school Strategic HR in a school
Starting point Forms and deadlines from the division The SIP’s goals and the learners’ needs
Staffing Accept whoever the division sends Tell the division, with data, which grade level, specialization and language each vacancy needs, and prepare the induction
Development Send teachers to whatever seminar is offered Plan from teachers’ IDPs and the school’s priorities, then check whether teaching changed
Performance Ratings filed at year-end Coaching all year, ratings based on evidence, and ratings that feed development and recognition
Recognition The same few awardees every year Published criteria and prompt, specific recognition tied to the school’s goals
Records Kept for audit Used to decide loads, training and nominations

HRM and HRD

Human resource development (HRD) is the part of HRM that builds people’s capability: training, coaching, mentoring and career development. DepEd’s division offices keep the two in separate units. Under DO 52, s. 2015, personnel work sits in the Personnel unit of the Schools Division Office’s (SDO) administrative services, while the Human Resource Development Section sits in the School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD). A school has neither unit, so the school head does both kinds of work, with an Administrative Officer II (Human Resource Officer) where the school has one (DO 030, s. 2025, Sec. VI.2.l).

Ulrich’s four HR roles in a school

Dave Ulrich’s model, from Human Resource Champions (1997), describes four roles that HR must play at once: strategic partner, administrative expert, employee champion and change agent. Each has a school version.

Role Focus In a school
Strategic partner Aligning people work with goals Linking the HR action plan to the SIP’s priority improvement areas
Administrative expert Accurate, efficient HR processes Correct electronic School Form 7 (eSF7), designation orders, leave and performance records
Employee champion Listening to and caring for staff Hearing concerns early, keeping workloads within the rules, assigning relievers for leave
Change agent Leading change Introducing a new curriculum or calendar with training, coaching and follow-through

The strategic HR framework: eight functions around the school’s goals

The strategic HR framework taught in DepEd’s School Heads Development Program (SHDP) puts the agency’s vision, mission and values, its goals and its strategies at the top. Under them sit eight HR functions, each linked to all the others: organization design, workforce planning, recruitment, selection and placement, performance management, learning and development, career management, rewards and recognition, and employee relations.

For a school, the top of the framework is fixed. DO 36, s. 2013 states that “the official DepEd VMV shall be the only vision, mission, and core values adopted by all offices and schools”. The school’s own goals are the ones in its SIP.

Function What it covers In a DepEd school Main rules
Organization design Roles, structure and who leads what Department heads, grade-level heads, an assistant school head in schools of more than 1,000 learners, coordinators; administrative work assigned to non-teaching staff DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 36; DO 002, s. 2024
Workforce planning How many staff of which kind, now and next year Teacher needs by grade, subject and language; retirements; loads recorded in eSF7 RA 9155, Sec. 7; DO 005, s. 2024
Recruitment, selection and placement Attracting, choosing, placing and inducting staff Stating needs before the division’s call for applications; sitting on the selection board; inducting new teachers DO 019, s. 2022; DO 007, s. 2023 as amended; DO 43, s. 2017
Performance management Targets, coaching, ratings and development plans Rater or approving authority for teachers; coach DO 2, s. 2015; DM 089, s. 2025
Learning and development Building staff competence Learning action cells (LAC), in-service training, mentoring DO 32, s. 2011; DO 35, s. 2016; DO 009, s. 2026
Career management Career lines, promotion and succession Advising teachers on the Classroom Teaching and School Administration lines; leadership assignments for aspiring principals DO 024, s. 2025; RA 12288
Rewards and recognition Valuing contributions Recognizing staff and nominating them under the division’s PRAISE rules DO 9, s. 2002; DO 78, s. 2007
Employee relations Concerns, grievances and welfare Hearing concerns first; the School Grievance Committee; wellness leave and relievers DO 35, s. 2004; DO 002, s. 2026

DO 024, s. 2025 builds succession into organization design: assistant school heads come from Teacher VI, Teacher VII and Master Teacher I “As part of the professional development of prospective or aspiring principals” (Encl. No. 1, Sec. 36.d.i). The duties of these designates are in Department Head, Assistant School Head and MT Duties, and the career lines in the Expanded Career Progression guide.

PRIME-HRM: the CSC framework for the four core HR systems

The CSC adopted PRIME-HRM through CSC Resolution No. 1200241 of February 1, 2012 and issued its guidelines as MC No. 3, s. 2012. It merged two older programs, the CSC Agency Accreditation Program of 1991 and the Personnel Management Assessment and Assistance Program of 2004. The 2012 circular rated agencies by status: Regulated, Accredited and Deregulated. Maturity indicators came next: CSC Resolution No. 1400376 of March 5, 2014 adopted them, CSC MC No. 30, s. 2014 issued them as its Annex A, and MC No. 24, s. 2016 amended that annex as the “PRIME-HRM Enhanced Maturity Level Indicators”.

The CSC’s PRIME-HRM Guidebook, printed in 2016 with support from the Australian Government, states the aim: “to elevate public sector human resource management to a level of excellence through the assessment, assistance, and awarding processes of HRM Systems, Practices, and Competencies using HRM maturity level indicators that are at par with global HRM standards” (p. 12). It calls the four core systems “the heart of PRIME-HRM because they cover all the essential people requirements of Attraction, Engagement, Performance, Motivation, and Retention” (p. 21).

The program worked in three stages: assess, assist and award. The agency rated itself against the indicators, and CSC assessors checked on site through three lenses: systems, the documented policies and tools (the “show me” part); practices, how the systems actually run (the “tell me” part); and the competencies of the HR office (Guidebook, p. 22). The agency then set a target maturity level and wrote an action plan for its gaps, with priority areas for “the next three (3) months to one (1) year” (p. 57), and the CSC recognized each system that reached a level.

PRIME-HRM covered national agencies, local governments, government corporations and state universities, “as well as the regional offices of agencies with Human Resource Management offices/units” (Guidebook, p. 14). In DepEd, the HR unit nearest a school is the SDO’s. In May 2020, for example, the Schools Division of Rizal formed a PRIME-HRM steering committee and one technical committee per core system to prepare for accreditation, with school heads among the memorandum’s recipients (Division Memorandum No. 179, s. 2020).

The four maturity levels

MC 24, s. 2016 describes the levels. The recognition and awards in the last column are those of CSC MC No. 1, s. 2021, which revised the 2016 award structure.

Level What the HR processes look like (MC 24, s. 2016) Recognition and award (MC 1, s. 2021)
1. Transactional HRM “Processes are compliant with CSC and other relevant authorities’ regulations and guidelines”; some are reactive; outputs “frequently exceed prescribed timelines”; “Success depends on competence of people and not by using proven processes” None; the CSC monitors and assists
2. Process-Defined HRM “Processes are attuned to the agency’s requirements”; “Programs are performed and managed according to documented processes”; some are automated Certificate of Recognition per system. Level 2 in RSP and PM: CSC accreditation, with authority to take final action on appointments. All four: Bronze Award
3. Integrated HRM “Quantitative objectives are used to measure the quality and performance of process for continuous improvement”; “HR partners with the agency leadership”; data-driven decisions; “There is an HR Management toolkit” Certificate of Recognition per system once all four are at Level 2. All four: Silver Award, with authority to set up its own HR mechanisms without the CSC’s prior approval
4. Strategic HRM Continual improvement “through both incremental and innovative improvements”; “HR helps to drive agency business decision on people, data, and insight”; “The HR strategy is part of the agency strategy” Certificate of Recognition per system once all four are at Level 3. All four: Gold Award with the Seal of HR Excellence

The levels describe agencies, not schools, but they give a school head a test. Where things go well only because certain teachers are good, practice is transactional; where it follows written, shared processes, it is process-defined; where the school measures whether its training changed teaching and adjusts, it is integrated.

MC 24, s. 2016 also aligns four proficiency levels for HR staff with the maturity levels: Basic (“can perform tasks with assistance or direction”), Intermediate (“works with minimal supervision”), Advanced (“can coach or teach others”) and Superior (“Considered an expert in performing tasks; can teach and lead others”).

PRIME-ESG: the 2026 redesign

On July 29, 2026, CSC Resolution No. 2600988 adopted PRIME-ESG, the “Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence: Embedded Systems Governance for the Civil Service”, as “the Redesigned Governance Framework” of PRIME-HRM. The CSC’s strategic review found the need to redesign PRIME-HRM “from an episodic and documentary assessment model into a continuous, evidence-based, and system-embedded governance framework”. MC No. 11, s. 2026, dated August 17, 2026, circularized the resolution with the PRIME-ESG Implementing Guidelines as Annex B. The guidelines take effect fifteen days after the package is published (Annex B, Sec. 20).

What changes:

  • The old cycle stops. “No new action under the former cycle shall be initiated”, and PRIME-HRM activities deferred by a CSC advisory of June 24, 2026 do not resume unless a later CSC issuance authorizes it (Annex B, Sec. 7.1).
  • Governance levels replace maturity levels for agencies enrolled and activated in the HR Management Information and Payroll System (HRMIS-PS). Enrollment is phased from 2026 to 2030. The levels are GL1, Baseline HR Governance; GL2, Operational HR Governance; GL3, Cross-System HR Governance; and GL4, Evidence-Led HR Governance. They “are not permanent awards”, and none confers autonomy or reduced CSC oversight unless another issuance says so (Sec. 8).
  • Agencies not yet enrolled keep a minimum floor of thirteen controls (Sec. 6). The core-system controls include a functioning selection board, published vacancies, “CSC-Approved SPMS — IPCR/OPCR Submitted”, “Performance Rating Distribution — Not Uniformly Outstanding”, a training and development plan with competency alignment, a functional PRAISE committee and “Performance-Linked PRAISE/R&R Awards”.
  • The head of agency owns it. PRIME-ESG “is an agency governance responsibility led by the Agency Head or Local Chief Executive and is not the sole responsibility of the human resource management office” (Sec. 2).

What stays:

  • The four core systems, by which PRIME-ESG’s core-system controls are coded (Sec. 6).
  • Earlier awards: “A previously conferred status, privilege, or related authority shall remain valid according to its terms” (Sec. 7.2). They do not convert into a governance level (Sec. 7.3).
  • The substantive rules. Nothing in the guidelines “repeals or modifies substantive civil service laws and rules” on appointments, performance management, learning and development, or rewards and recognition (Sec. 17).

One of the minimum controls is “Performance Rating Distribution — Not Uniformly Outstanding” (Sec. 6); the Operations Manual sets its evidence. School heads give or approve most teachers’ ratings, so a school’s ratings feed the agency’s record on it.

PRIME-HRM in DepEd’s own rules

  • The Merit Selection Plan. DO 019, s. 2022 aligns DepEd’s hiring with the CSC’s appointment rules and “reinforces its commitment with the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) per CSC MC No. 3, s. 2012” (paragraph 4). It aims to ensure that DepEd “hires and retains the right people for the right job at the right time” (paragraph 7).
  • A privilege for awarded offices. The CSC’s 2025 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Actions (MC No. 08, s. 2025) let an agency fill a vacancy created by a promotion before the CSC approves the promotion when it has been “conferred with PRIME-HRM Bronze or Silver or Gold award” (Sec. 98.a). DO 019, s. 2022 carries the same exception (paragraph 68.a).
  • DepEd’s level. DepEd announced on January 4, 2023 that its Central Office “met the PRIME-HRM Level 2-Maturity Indicators of all the four (4) core HRM areas” and received the Bronze Award.
  • Equal opportunity in all four systems. DepEd’s Inclusive Employment Policy, DO 030, s. 2025, cites MC 24, s. 2016 as requiring the equal opportunity principle in “Recruitment, Selection and Placement (RSP); Learning and Development (L&D); Performance Management (PM); and Rewards and Recognition (R&R)”. It covers public schools and states that school heads “shall ensure implementation of inclusive policies and systems in their respective offices” (Sec. VI.2.m).
  • The 2026 target. Memorandum DM-OUHRODI-2026-3701 of September 4, 2026 orients regional and division performance management teams, from October to December 2026, on a “Draft Revised DO 2, S. 2015”, to “support the attainment of Civil Service Commission (CSC) Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) Level III”. DepEd’s Quality Basic Education Development Plan 2025-2035 likewise tracks the “Percentage of Schools Division Offices conferred with level 3 PRIME-HRM accreditation”, from 0% in SY 2023-2024 (Annex 6). Both targets were set for the PRIME-HRM cycle. PRIME-HRM activities have been on hold since the CSC’s advisory of June 24, 2026, and under PRIME-ESG’s guidelines the former cycle, awards included, does not resume unless a later CSC issuance authorizes it (Annex B, Sec. 7.1).

The four core HR systems in a DepEd school

1. Recruitment, selection and placement

The CSC’s pillars are governance, talent planning, talent sourcing, and talent selection and placement (Guidebook, pp. 23 and 24). Talent planning means “assessing and defining Agency’s staffing demands”, and selection and placement includes “Preparing new entrants to the Agency and roles to facilitate integration, performance, and promote retention”.

What Current rule
DepEd’s merit plan DO 019, s. 2022
Teacher I, school administration, related-teaching and non-teaching positions DO 007, s. 2023, as amended by DO 021, s. 2024
Higher teaching positions DO 020, s. 2024
Reclassification under the Expanded Career Progression DO 024, s. 2025, amended by DO 034, s. 2025. As of November 7, 2026, DepEd has issued no order implementing Republic Act No. 12288
Induction of new teachers DO 43, s. 2017
Equal opportunity in hiring DO 030, s. 2025, Encl. No. 2

The school head’s part runs through all four pillars:

  • Talent planning. RA 9155 makes the school head responsible for “Recommending the staffing complement of the school based on its needs” (Sec. 7). In practice that is a written teacher needs analysis, with enrollment and eSF7 data, before the division’s call for applications.
  • Selection. For teaching vacancies, the special selection board of DO 021, s. 2024 includes the “School Head where the vacancy exists” (paragraph 17). For other positions, the Merit Selection Plan’s board includes the “School Head or Chief of Division where the vacancy exists” (DO 019, s. 2022, paragraph 83).
  • Placement and onboarding. Under DO 43, s. 2017, the school head prepares and submits the profile of newly hired teachers, “Serves also as mentor in the school”, “Ensures that mentoring is done regularly” and submits the induction reports to the SDO.

The hiring steps, scoring and induction checklist are in Human Resource Management for DepEd School Heads.

2. Learning and development

The CSC’s pillars are governance; planning and monitoring and evaluation; and execution, which covers “the Learning and Development cycle (from learning needs analysis to delivery)” (Guidebook, pp. 23 and 25). DepEd’s rules:

  • The school plan. DepEd’s training policy, DO 32, s. 2011, states: “The School Heads shall integrate the Schools Improvement Plan (SIP) in the School Plan for Professional Development (SPPD)” (paragraph 2.d). Schools carry out “competence/needs assessment and conduct of T&D activities for teachers and staff based on SPPDs integrated in the school improvement plans” (paragraph 3.e). The order still names the older teacher and school head standards, which the PPST and PPSSH have since replaced, so read it with the current standards.
  • Time for it. Under DO 009, s. 2026, schools organize professional development “for two (2) days during the End-of-Term Blocks, for a minimum of thirty-two (32) hours annually”, following the standards of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) (paragraph 21). LAC sessions continue within the Instructional Block under DO 35, s. 2016, with further guidelines promised “in a subsequent issuance” (paragraph 22). As of November 7, 2026, that issuance has not come out.
  • Individual plans. Under DM 089, s. 2025, each teacher prepares a multi-year IDP after a full self-assessment, and the rater prepares an Instructional Supervisory (IS) Plan “guided by the Individual Development Plans (IDPs) of teachers” (paragraphs 26 and 27). The IS Plan includes professional development opportunities “identified based on their IDPs, SAT result, and observed performance gaps” (paragraph 30).
  • Needs-based and open to all. DO 030, s. 2025 requires that “The provision of L&D opportunities must be needs-based” and that no employee be denied it for belonging to a marginalized group (Encl. No. 2, B.a.i).
  • NEAP. Republic Act No. 11713 of 2022 institutionalized NEAP “to provide quality professional development programs on teacher education to in-service teachers, school leaders, and other teaching-related personnel” (Sec. 17 of RA 7784 as amended). NEAP’s recognition of professional development programs under DO 001, s. 2020 has been on hold since DM 012, s. 2023.

Training and teachers’ licenses. CPD remains a requirement for renewing a professional teacher’s license under the CPD Act of 2016, RA 10912 (Sec. 10). During the transition period the requirement is “fifteen (15)” units. In-house training programs of government agencies “shall be accredited and considered as CPD compliance” once the agency is an accredited CPD provider and the program itself is accredited; a teacher whose employer is not accredited applies for units under self-directed learning (Professional Regulatory Board for Professional Teachers Resolution No. 31, s. 2019, Secs. 1 and 6.1 to 6.3). The Professional Regulation Commission accepts a CPD undertaking in place of units until December 31, 2026 and plans “the full implementation of the CPD Program beginning January 2027” (PRC Resolution No. 2200, s. 2026).

The 70-20-10 model and the four levels of training evaluation are in Human Resource Management for DepEd School Heads, and running LAC sessions in the learning action cell guide.

3. Performance management

The CSC’s pillars are governance; performance planning and commitment; performance monitoring and coaching; performance review and evaluation; and development planning (Guidebook, pp. 23 and 26). The last four follow the same four-phase cycle as DepEd’s Results-based Performance Management System (RPMS) under DO 2, s. 2015, DepEd’s adoption of the CSC’s Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS) under MC No. 6, s. 2012.

Personnel Current rule, November 7, 2026
Teachers I to VII and Master Teachers I to V The PMES of DM 089, s. 2025, for SY 2025-2026 to SY 2027-2028, with the March 2026 transition guidance
School heads The Office Performance Commitment and Review Form (OPCRF) under DO 2, s. 2015; draft PMES tools based on the PPSSH were scheduled for validation workshops on March 11 to 13 and April 27 to 29, 2026 (DM-OUHROD-2026-0080)
Non-teaching staff The Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form (IPCRF) under DO 2, s. 2015
All of the above A revised DO 2, s. 2015 is in draft (DM-OUHRODI-2026-3701)

The school head rates master teachers, head teachers with a teaching load, and teachers in schools without master teachers or department heads, and approves the ratings that others give (DM 089, s. 2025, Table 18). The phases, observations and computations are in DepEd PMES for Teachers, and the school head’s own form is in OPCRF for DepEd School Heads in 2026.

For strategic HR, two duties matter most. The first is evidence: a rating is only as useful as the observations behind it. The second is development planning: under DM 089, s. 2025, the final IDP must reflect the teacher’s strengths and needs, coaching needs, and “Alignment with the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and the school’s capacity-building priorities” (paragraph 89).

4. Rewards and recognition

The CSC’s pillars are governance, planning and execution (Guidebook, pp. 23 and 27). Planning means “developing Rewards and Recognition plans and programs that promote individual and team motivation and performance to achieve Agency’s strategic goals”. The CSC’s rule is its PRAISE circular, MC No. 1, s. 2001.

DepEd’s PRAISE is set by DO 9, s. 2002 and DO 78, s. 2007, which DepEd still applied in 2026: nominations to the 2026 Gawad Lingkod Bayani (Search for Outstanding Government Workers) are signed by “the respective PRAISE Committee Chairperson, as constituted under DO No. 9, s. 2002 and DO No. 78, s. 2007” (DepEd Memorandum No. 013, s. 2026, item 5). Two principles of DO 9, s. 2002 apply directly to a school:

  • “the spirit of on-the-spot grant of recognition shall be institutionalized” (item 1.4); and
  • “the System shall encourage the grant of non-monetary awards” (item 1.5).

PRAISE committees sit at the central, regional and division offices. Neither order creates a school committee, so a school head nominates staff under the division’s rules and runs the school’s own informal recognition. DO 030, s. 2025 adds that recognition “shall be based on merit, performance and accomplishments” and not on personal circumstances (Encl. No. 2, D.2).

How the four systems feed each other

The systems become one system through their outputs. DepEd’s orders spell out most of the links.

From To What passes between them Source
Performance management Learning and development Development needs from ratings, coaching notes and IDPs become the school’s training priorities DO 2, s. 2015, para. 54; DM 089, s. 2025, paras. 27, 30 and 89
Performance management Rewards and recognition Ratings identify nominees for awards and incentives DO 2, s. 2015, para. 54; DM 089, s. 2025, para. 86.c
Performance management Recruitment, selection and placement Ratings decide eligibility for promotion; reclassification needs at least a Very Satisfactory rating DO 2, s. 2015, para. 55; DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 2
Learning and development Career management and succession Leadership assignments and training prepare aspiring principals DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 36.d.i
Recruitment, selection and placement Learning and development Each new teacher’s profile starts induction and mentoring DO 43, s. 2017
Rewards and recognition All systems Recognizing the right work tells staff what the school values DO 9, s. 2002, items 1.4 and 1.5

DO 2, s. 2015 states the first two links outright: evaluation results feed developmental interventions “which shall form part of the HR Plan and shall be the basis for rewards and incentives” (paragraph 54). DM 089, s. 2025 says teachers’ final ratings “shall be used as basis for recognition, rewards, and further development opportunities” (paragraph 85). A broken link shows quickly: inflated ratings send the wrong teachers to training and to awards, and a training plan written without the year’s ratings repeats last year’s seminars.

Older SHDP references and what applies in 2026

The SHDP Foundation Course began under DM 192, s. 2016, anchored on the National Competency-Based Standards for School Heads (NCBS-SH), which the PPSSH replaced in 2020. NASH takers are now developed through NEAP’s targeted programs (see the NASH TDP and PDI guide). Its human resource module cites issuances that have since changed.

Older reference Status on November 7, 2026 What applies
DO 66, s. 2007 (appointment and promotion) Repealed by DO 019, s. 2022 and DO 007, s. 2023; its provisions on higher teaching positions also by DO 020, s. 2024 DO 007, s. 2023 as amended; DO 020, s. 2024
DO 50, s. 2014 (selection under the rationalization program) Repealed by DO 019, s. 2022 and DO 007, s. 2023 DO 019, s. 2022; DO 007, s. 2023
DO 7 and 22, s. 2015 and DO 9, s. 2016 (Kindergarten to Grade 10 hiring) Repealed by DO 019, s. 2022 and DO 007, s. 2023 DO 007, s. 2023 as amended by DO 021, s. 2024
DO 3, s. 2016 (senior high school hiring) Repealed by DO 019, s. 2022 and DO 007, s. 2023 DO 007, s. 2023 as amended by DO 021, s. 2024
DO 57, s. 2007 (preschool teachers) Issued as additional guidelines to DO 4, s. 2007, which DO 019, s. 2022 and DO 007, s. 2023 repealed Kindergarten Teacher I hiring under DO 007, s. 2023 as amended
DO 2, s. 2015 (RPMS) In force, with a revision in draft For teachers, the PMES of DM 089, s. 2025
DO 9, s. 2002 (PRAISE) In force, with DO 78, s. 2007 DepEd PRAISE; DO 030, s. 2025 on equal opportunity
CSC MC 3, s. 2012 (PRIME-HRM) Redesigned as PRIME-ESG; inconsistent portions superseded CSC Resolution No. 2600988 and MC No. 11, s. 2026
PRC Resolution No. 1032, s. 2017 and PRB-Professional Teachers Resolution No. 11, s. 2017 (CPD) Modified for the transition period 15 units (PRB-Professional Teachers Resolution No. 31, s. 2019); undertaking accepted to December 31, 2026 (PRC Resolution No. 2200, s. 2026)

RA 9155 and the PPST of DO 42, s. 2017, also cited in the module, remain in force.

How to write a school HR action plan

An HR action plan is the school’s plan for the year’s people priorities across the four systems. The SHDP’s session on “The School Head as Steward of Human Resources” asked school heads to “Develop an HR action plan based on their personnel individual development plan that supports their SIP and on the school LDNA results”, LDNA being a learning and development needs assessment.

As of November 7, 2026, no DepEd order prescribes a format for it. What DepEd does require overlaps with it: the SIP and AIP under DO 44, s. 2015, which calls the SIP the basis for the AIP “and other specific plans such as the Child Protection plan, Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) plan, and Learning Action Cell (LAC) action plan”; the SPPD of DO 32, s. 2011; the LAC plan of DO 35, s. 2016; and teachers’ IDPs under DM 089, s. 2025. A good HR action plan pulls these together so that each HR activity is funded and monitored through the AIP, instead of becoming one more document.

Steps

  1. Start from the SIP. List the SIP’s priority improvement areas and ask which depend on people: a reading program needs trained Key Stage 1 teachers; a new senior high school track needs a qualified teacher.
  2. Profile the staff. Use eSF7 and the school’s personnel records: positions, specializations, loads, teaching-related assignments, vacancies, expected retirements and transfers, and leave.
  3. Gather evidence of needs. Use teachers’ IDPs and self-assessment results, last year’s ratings, classroom observation and walkthrough notes, learner results, LAC reflections, and the needs of non-teaching staff from their IPCRF development plans.
  4. Sort the needs by system. For each need, ask which system can meet it best: hiring or redeployment (RSP), training or coaching (L&D), clearer targets and feedback (PM), or recognition (R&R).
  5. Choose a few priorities. Rank needs by their link to the SIP and the number of learners affected, and pick three to five for the year.
  6. Write the actions. For each priority, state the objective, activities, persons responsible, schedule under the three-term calendar, budget and fund source, and a success indicator with its evidence.
  7. Put the actions in the AIP. Enter them in the AIP’s own columns, from project title to budget source, so the activities are funded from the school’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) or other sources and monitored at midyear and year-end.
  8. Review each term. Check the indicators at each End-of-Term Block, adjust, and carry the results into the next year’s plan and the School Report Card.

Template

The columns adapt the AIP’s (DO 44, s. 2015, Annex 10): they add the HR system, the need and its evidence, and a success indicator. When entering the actions in the AIP itself, use its own columns.

HR system Priority need and evidence Objective Activities Persons responsible Schedule Budget and source Success indicator and evidence

A worked example

The school below is fictional: a rural elementary school with 18 teachers, one master teacher and one administrative assistant. Its SIP makes early-grade reading a priority improvement area. Two Grade 3 teachers retire at the end of the school year, and enrollment in Kindergarten is rising.

HR system Priority need and evidence Objective Activities Persons responsible Schedule Budget and source Success indicator and evidence
RSP Two retirements; more Kindergarten learners (enrollment, eSF7) Vacancies filled with teachers who fit the classes Send the SDO a teacher needs analysis naming grade level, specialization and language; plan the induction School head Before the call for applications None Needs analysis sent with data; mentor named before each new teacher starts
L&D Grade 1 to 3 teachers’ IDPs name reading assessment; few small-group reading sessions observed Key Stage 1 teachers assess reading and group learners by need Monthly LAC on reading assessment; one INSET day; coaching after walkthroughs Master teacher; school head LAC in each Instructional Block; INSET in an End-of-Term Block Meals and materials, MOOE Grouped reading seen in most Key Stage 1 classes by Term 2
PM Last year’s ratings nearly all Outstanding on thin evidence Ratings based on evidence Raters agree on what counts as evidence; observations scheduled in IS Plans School head; master teacher Opening Block; mid-year and year-end reviews None IS Plans done in the Opening Block; ratings backed by observation records
Career management Two Teacher VI staff want to lead Leadership experience for aspiring school heads Each leads one SIP project with the school head’s coaching School head Whole year None Project milestones met; reflections in their IDPs
R&R Recognition limited to the year-end program Prompt, fair recognition linked to the SIP Publish criteria; recognize specific work at faculty meetings; nominate under the division’s PRAISE rules School head; committee with a teacher representative Monthly; division deadlines Certificates, MOOE Recognition log covers teaching and non-teaching staff

Common mistakes

  • Writing the HR plan apart from the SIP and AIP, so it has no budget and no one monitors it.
  • Treating every need as a training need when the cause is a misassignment, a missing tool or unclear expectations.
  • Building the training plan from seminar invitations instead of IDPs and observations.
  • Leaving out non-teaching staff, whose development and recognition fall under the same four systems.

What this means for school heads

  • Plan people work inside the SIP, with HR activities and their budget in the AIP.
  • Keep the records that connect the systems: eSF7 and designation orders, IDPs and IS Plans, observation records, LAC and INSET records, induction reports and a recognition log.
  • Rate on evidence, because ratings feed promotion, training and awards.
  • Recommend; do not appoint. The school head states staffing needs and sits on the selection board for vacancies at the school level, but appointments are made at the division.
  • Apply equal opportunity in all four systems, as DO 030, s. 2025 requires of school heads, and include non-teaching staff in development and recognition.

The work maps to these PPSSH strands and their Career Stage 1 indicators. The PPSSH Domain 2 guide and the PPSSH Domain 4 guide cover the full standards.

Strand Career Stage 1 indicator
1.2 School planning and implementation 1.2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the phases of development and implementation of school plans aligned with institutional goals and policies.
2.4 Management of staff 2.4.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of laws, policies, guidelines and issuances on managing school staff.
4.4 Performance management 4.4.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the implementation of the performance management system in improving school personnel and office performance.
4.5 Professional development of school personnel 4.5.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of professional development in enhancing strengths and in addressing performance gaps among school personnel.
4.6 Leadership development in individuals and teams 4.6.1 Identify strengths, capabilities and potentials of individuals and teams in performing leadership roles and responsibilities.
4.7 General welfare of human resources 4.7.1 Display knowledge of laws, policies, guidelines and issuances on the rights, privileges and benefits of school personnel to promote their general welfare.
4.8 Rewards and recognition mechanism 4.8.1 Reward and recognize learners, school personnel and other stakeholders for exemplary performance and/ or support.

Frequently asked questions

What is strategic human resource management in DepEd?

It is managing a school’s or office’s people systems so that they serve the organization’s goals and support each other. In DepEd, those systems are the four of the CSC’s PRIME-HRM. DO 019, s. 2022 ties DepEd’s hiring to that program, and DO 2, s. 2015 makes performance ratings the basis for development, promotion and awards.

What are the four core HR systems of PRIME-HRM?

They are recruitment, selection and placement (RSP); learning and development (L&D); performance management (PM); and rewards and recognition (R&R). The CSC’s PRIME-HRM Guidebook calls them “the heart of PRIME-HRM”, and PRIME-ESG’s minimum controls are still grouped by these four systems (MC No. 11, s. 2026, Annex B, Sec. 6).

What are the PRIME-HRM maturity levels?

MC 24, s. 2016 sets four: Level 1, Transactional HRM; Level 2, Process-Defined HRM; Level 3, Integrated HRM; and Level 4, Strategic HRM. Under CSC MC No. 1, s. 2021, meeting a level’s indicators in all four systems earned the Bronze Award at Level 2, the Silver at Level 3 and the Gold, with the Seal of HR Excellence, at Level 4. Under PRIME-ESG, agencies enrolled in the government HR and payroll system are measured by four governance levels instead, while awards already conferred stay valid.

Is PRIME-HRM still in effect?

It continues in a redesigned form. CSC Resolution No. 2600988 of July 29, 2026 adopted PRIME-ESG as PRIME-HRM’s redesigned framework, and its guidelines (MC No. 11, s. 2026) end the old cycle of assessments and awards. The four core systems and the substantive civil service rules on each of them remain.

Is a school HR action plan required by DepEd?

As of November 7, 2026, no DepEd order prescribes one. The plans DepEd requires are the SIP and AIP (DO 44, s. 2015), the School Plan for Professional Development integrated in the SIP (DO 32, s. 2011), the LAC plan (DO 35, s. 2016) and teachers’ IDPs (DM 089, s. 2025). An HR action plan is useful when it brings these together and its activities are entered in the AIP.

Sources

Civil Service Commission issuances

  • CSC Memorandum Circular No. 3, s. 2012, Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM), February 16, 2012, pursuant to CSC Resolution No. 1200241 of February 1, 2012, Parts A, D and E
  • CSC Resolution No. 1400376, Adoption of the HR Maturity Level Indicators for the PRIME-HRM Assessment of Agency HRM Systems, March 5, 2014
  • CSC Memorandum Circular No. 24, s. 2016, PRIME-HRM Enhanced Maturity Level Indicators, October 24, 2016, pursuant to CSC Resolution No. 1601209, Parts A and B
  • Civil Service Commission, PRIME-HRM Guidebook, printed 2016 with support from the Philippines Australia Human Resource and Organisational Development Facility, pp. 12 to 14, 21 to 27, 31 and 57
  • CSC Memorandum Circular No. 11, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Implementation of PRIME-ESG Pursuant to CSC Resolution No. 2600988, August 17, 2026, with CSC Resolution No. 2600988 of July 29, 2026 (Annex A) and the PRIME-ESG Implementing Guidelines (Annex B), Secs. 2, 6, 7, 8, 17 and 20
  • CSC Memorandum Circular No. 08, s. 2025, 2025 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Actions, Sec. 98
  • CSC Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2021, PRIME-HRM: Revised Guidelines on the Conferment of HR Recognition and Award, January 26, 2021, pursuant to CSC Resolution No. 2000359, Part III, Tables 1 to 3
  • CSC Memorandum Circular No. 6, s. 2012, Strategic Performance Management System; CSC Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2001, Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence

DepEd issuances

  • DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2022, The Department of Education Merit Selection Plan, April 22, 2022, paragraphs 4, 7, 68.a, 83 and 103
  • DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, Guidelines on Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment in the Department of Education, March 22, 2023, paragraph 75
  • DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2024, Amendments to DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, December 23, 2024
  • DepEd Order No. 020, s. 2024, Guidelines on the Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment to Higher Teaching Positions, December 20, 2024, paragraph 77
  • DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads, August 28, 2025, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 36, and Encl. No. 2
  • DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025, Amendments and Clarifications to DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, October 14, 2025
  • DepEd Order No. 030, s. 2025, Inclusive Employment Policy in the Department of Education, September 29, 2025, Secs. VI.2.l and VI.2.m and Encl. No. 2, Parts B and D
  • DepEd Order No. 2, s. 2015, Guidelines on the Establishment and Implementation of the Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS), February 6, 2015, paragraphs 54 and 55
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 089, s. 2025, Guidelines on the Multi-Year Performance Management and Evaluation System for Teachers from School Years 2025-2026 to 2027-2028, October 1, 2025, paragraphs 26, 27, 30, 85, 86 and 89, and Table 18
  • Memorandum DM-OSEC-OUHRODI-2026-0001, Guidance in the Implementation of the PMES for Teachers for SY 2025-2026, March 3, 2026
  • Memorandum DM-OUHRODI-2026-3701, Conduct of the Orientation-Training on the Draft Revised DepEd Order on the Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS) Guidelines for Selected Performance Management Team Members, September 4, 2026
  • Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2026-0080, Validation Workshops on the Draft Performance Management and Evaluation System – Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PMES-PPSSH) Tools, with the rescheduling notice of January 27, 2026
  • DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2011, Policies and Guidelines on Training and Development (T&D) Programs and Activities, March 31, 2011, paragraphs 2.d, 3.e and 6.c
  • DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016, The Learning Action Cell as a K to 12 Basic Education Program School-Based Continuing Professional Development Strategy for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning
  • DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Three-Term School Calendar in Basic Education, April 16, 2026, paragraphs 21 and 22
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 012, s. 2023, Moratorium on the Implementation of DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2020, March 2, 2023
  • DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2017, Teacher Induction Program Policy
  • DepEd Order No. 9, s. 2002, Establishing the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) in the Department of Education, items 1.4, 1.5 and 5.1
  • DepEd Order No. 78, s. 2007, Strengthening the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) of the Department of Education
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 013, s. 2026, 2026 Gawad Lingkod Bayani (Search for Outstanding Government Workers), February 27, 2026, item 5
  • Repealed or superseded orders cited in older SHDP materials: DO 4, s. 2007, Revisions to the Hiring Guidelines for Teacher I Positions; DO 57, s. 2007, Guidelines on Hiring and Deployment of Preschool Teachers; DO 66, s. 2007, Revised Guidelines on the Appointment and Promotion of Other Teaching, Related Teaching and Non-Teaching Positions; DO 50, s. 2014, Guidelines on the Recruitment, Selection and Placement of Personnel Pursuant to the DepEd Rationalization Program; DO 7, s. 2015 and DO 22, s. 2015, Hiring Guidelines for Teacher I and the Remaining Teaching Positions Effective SY 2015-2016; DO 9, s. 2016, Reinforcement of DepEd Order Nos. 7 and 22, s. 2015; DO 3, s. 2016, Hiring Guidelines for Senior High School Teaching Positions Effective SY 2016-2017
  • DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2020, Guidelines for NEAP Recognition of Professional Development Programs and Courses for Teachers and School Leaders, January 23, 2020
  • DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2015, Guidelines on the Enhanced School Improvement Planning (SIP) Process and the School Report Card (SRC), SIP Guidebook and Annex 10
  • DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2013, Our Department of Education Vision, Mission and Core Values (DepEd VMV), September 4, 2013
  • DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2015, New Organizational Structures of the Central, Regional, and Schools Division Offices of the Department of Education, October 30, 2015
  • 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. 35, s. 2004, Revision of the Grievance Machineries of the Department of Education; DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Grant of Wellness Leave for the Department of Education Personnel
  • DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020, National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads; DepEd Order No. 42, s. 2017, National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 192, s. 2016, School Heads Development Program: Foundation Course, November 8, 2016
  • DepEd, “DepEd receives PRIME-HRM Bronze Award from CSC”, January 4, 2023
  • Schools Division of Rizal, Division Memorandum No. 179, s. 2020, Composition of Steering and Technical Committees on the Implementation of PRIME-HRM, May 13, 2020

Laws and professional regulation

Books and articles

  • Patrick M. Wright and Gary C. McMahan, “Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human Resource Management,” Journal of Management 18, no. 2 (1992): 295-320
  • Lloyd Baird and Ilan Meshoulam, “Managing Two Fits of Strategic Human Resource Management,” Academy of Management Review 13, no. 1 (1988): 116-128
  • Dave Ulrich, Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and Delivering Results (Harvard Business School Press, 1997)

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: CSC MC No. 3, s. 2012, MC No. 24, s. 2016, MC No. 1, s. 2021, MC No. 08, s. 2025 and MC No. 11, s. 2026, with CSC Resolution Nos. 1400376 and 2600988 and the PRIME-HRM Guidebook; DepEd Orders No. 019, s. 2022, No. 007, s. 2023, No. 020 and 021, s. 2024, No. 024, 030 and 034, s. 2025, No. 2, s. 2015, No. 32, s. 2011, No. 35, s. 2016, No. 009, s. 2026, No. 43, s. 2017, No. 9, s. 2002, No. 78, s. 2007, No. 44, s. 2015 and No. 024, s. 2020; DepEd Memoranda No. 089, s. 2025 and DM-OUHRODI-2026-3701; Republic Acts No. 9155, 10912, 11713 and 12288; PRB-Professional Teachers Resolution No. 31, s. 2019; PRC Resolution No. 2200, s. 2026; Wright and McMahan (1992); Baird and Meshoulam (1988); Ulrich (1997).