The Department of Education (DepEd) plans to establish 13 new Schools Division Offices (SDOs) and open 15 temporary field offices to speed up services for schools located on remote islands and in mountainous areas.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the proposed reorganization aims to reduce delays in administrative processes and bring management, teacher support, and educational services closer to schools that are difficult to reach.
The plan follows a DepEd assessment of 221 existing division offices, which found that nine provinces need changes in their management structure because of their vast geographic coverage and transportation challenges.
The provinces identified were Bohol, Palawan, Masbate, Quezon, Cebu, Leyte, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Cagayan.
One example is the Schools Division Office of Leyte, which oversees 1,286 schools spread across a wide land area and surrounding islands, making the delivery of administrative support and education services more challenging.
The proposed new division offices include Palawan North and South, Cebu North and South, Iloilo North and South, Leyte North and South-West, Bohol Northeast, Quezon South and Islands, Masbate Islands, Camarines Sur Partido and Coastal, and Cagayan North and Islands.
In addition to the proposed SDOs, DepEd will establish 15 temporary field sub-offices in areas requiring immediate support.
These include Laoang in Northern Samar, Guiuan in Eastern Samar, Bislig City in Surigao del Sur, and Siasi in Sulu.
The proposed expansion is intended to make education administration more accessible to geographically isolated schools and help ensure that teachers and school personnel receive the support they need without lengthy travel or administrative delays.