A recent report revealing that more than half of public schools in the country have been operating without principals is indeed "very alarming," but this is merely one of the mounting problems plaguing the Department of Education (DepEd), a House leader disclosed on Sunday.

In an interview, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, chairperson of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, lamented that the education sector has been facing various significant challenges, ranging from the lack of principals and guidance counselors to lagging career progression, not to mention the low compensation for excessive workloads, which is forcing teachers to leave the job.

“Apparently, all our problems in education are long-standing, whether the problem is with respect to teachers' progression — the teachers’ careers — or the principals’ or guidance counselors’ issues — all of these have been long-term issues already,” said Romulo, co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), in Filipino.

A report from EDCOM 2 released last Monday disclosed that 55 percent, or 24,916, out of the 45,199 public schools do not have sitting principals.

Of the number, 13,332 are headed by head teachers, 8,916 schools only have teachers in charge, 2,337 schools have officers in charge, and 193 are “undefined.”

Meanwhile, of the 20,381 public schools that do have principals, not all had the corresponding plantilla item, the findings showed.

Romulo noted that the lack of principals in public schools will only exacerbate the current crisis in addressing education challenges, which cannot be resolved by appointing a temporary teacher or officer in charge.

"If there is no leader, if there is no principal in that school, then who will lead? Who can identify the problem, the solution, and ensure it is effectively implemented? We were honestly worried when we saw this fact,” he stated.

Some public schools, Romulo said, have existing principal plantilla items. However, fulfilling these positions remains a challenge because "none have qualified."

Although the lawmaker acknowledged the urgent need to address this dire shortage, he pointed out that filling this gap should not come at the expense of compromising the qualifications and standards for such a pivotal position.

“We cannot sacrifice the quality. Quality is very important, especially in a leadership role… We are not saying loosen the exam just to have a principal, because that is not right,” he affirmed.

Over the years, the number of teachers who passed the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) has never reached even 50 percent.

In 2016, the NQESH passing rate was only 2.22 percent. While it significantly increased to 24.75 percent in 2017, it plunged to a mere 0.68 percent in 2018. In 2021 and 2023, it rose to almost 34 percent and 26 percent, respectively, but still fell below 50 percent.

No exam was administered in 2019, 2020, or 2022.

Earlier, Romulo blamed the shortage of principals on DepEd’s lack of priority in filling this void for decades.

In response, DepEd assured that preemptive measures are already in place to fill the positions, with around 7,700 eligible principals available. These numbers include teachers in charge who have reportedly already qualified to become principals.