The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has raised concerns over significant disparities in the number of schools supervised by School Division Offices (SDOs), warning that the imbalance could affect the quality of support provided to public schools nationwide.

During a recent hearing, EDCOM 2 presented data showing that some division offices manage more than 1,300 schools, while others oversee only a small fraction of that number. The Schools Division Office of Leyte supervises 1,363 schools, while Cebu oversees 1,346. In contrast, Caloocan City manages 319 schools and Batanes just 28.

The commission said the uneven distribution has created disparities in access to personnel, resources and administrative support, placing greater strain on heavily burdened divisions.

"The disparities are significant and raise questions about whether all schools are receiving the same level of support from their respective division offices," EDCOM 2 said.

School Division Offices serve as the Department of Education's frontline administrative units, overseeing teacher deployment, personnel management, curriculum implementation and school monitoring within their respective jurisdictions.

According to EDCOM 2, existing legal restrictions have limited the ability of the Department of Education to create new divisions despite population growth and increasing enrollment in many areas.

Under Republic Act No. 9155, or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, school divisions are generally organized according to provincial and city boundaries. The commission said this framework has resulted in some divisions becoming increasingly congested while others remain relatively small.

Roman Romulo, co-chairperson of EDCOM 2, said the situation underscores the need to review the current structure of school divisions and consider granting DepEd greater authority to establish new offices without requiring separate legislation.

DepEd Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Filemon Javier told lawmakers that amendments to existing laws may be necessary to provide the department with flexibility in addressing the growing disparities among division offices.

EDCOM 2 recommended measures to ease the burden on overcrowded divisions, saying improved distribution of administrative responsibilities could strengthen support services for schools and promote a more equitable allocation of resources throughout the education system.