1. This Office hereby issued the following policies on the selection/appointment to the positions of DECS Regional Directors, Assistant Regional Directors, Schools Divisions Superintendents, Assistant Schools Division Superintendents, District Supervisors and Principals (Elementary and Secondary) and their respective posting, subsequent transfer or reassignment:

1.1

The selection/appointment to the vacant positions of Regional Directors (RDs), Assistant Regional Directors (ARDs), Schools Division Superintendents (SDSs) and Assistant Schools Division Superintendents (ASDSs) shall be based on a national ranking of applicants/candidates nationwide. Appointments to these positions are national in scope and may not necessarily be division or region-specific as the case may be.

Procedure:

1. The Secretariat of the National Search Committee (NSC) organized through DECS Memorandum No. 305, s. 1998 announces vacancies, gathers all applications received and determines who are to be included in the list of qualified applicants/candidates.
   
   
2. The NSC meets as a panel to evaluate documents submitted by applicants/candidates; conducts interviews, gathers background information and other selection tests/procedures as may be deemed necessary; and determines the most qualified applicants/candidates. A list of ranking candidates is prepared.
   
   
3. For the position of RDs and ARDs, the DECS Secretary submits to the Office of the President the names of at least three (3) recommendees for every position to be filled up whenever possible together with the supporting documents required in a Memorandum of the Office of the President dated July 7, 1998.

In the case of SDSs and ASDSs, a short list of the most ranking applicants/candidates is sent to the region where the vacancy exists; consultation with the Local School Board in accordance with the Local Government Code of 1991 is made by the regional director who then forwards to the DECS Secretary the names of at least three (3) recommendees for every position to be filled up in a division; the DECS Secretary then submits such list to the Office of the President together with the required documents.

Transfers/Reassignments of RDs and ARDs shall be done every three (3) years but they may be retained in the same region for another three (3) years only. Transfers/Reassignments of ASDSs and SDSs shall be done every five (5) years. As a matter of policy, no ARD and ASDS shall be promoted in his/her region and division of assignment, respectively.

Transfers/Reassignments of all the above officials shall be at the discretion of the Secretary of Education in consultation with the National Search Committee and the Regional Director concerned. While the Secretary may consider a number of factors in reassignments and transfers, the exigency of the service shall be a basic consideration.

1.2

Selection and appointment to the positions of District Supervisors and Principals (elementary and secondary) shall be the responsibility of the Schools Division Superintendent. DECS Order Nos. 8 and 54, s. 1993 and the 1995 DECS Qualification Standards Manual and other rules and regulations shall be used as the bases for such selection and appointment.

Appointments of District Supervisors and Principals for both elementary and secondary levels shall be division-specific and not school-specific. This means that they may be transferred to any district or school within the division when the need arises.

Transfers/Reassignments of District Supervisors and Principals shall be done every five (5) years.

1.3	Under exceptional circumstances, particularly in the exigency of the service, and subject to the discretion of the Secretary, the tenure of service of all the abovementioned officials in a given station may be shortened or extended beyond what is stated in this Order.

2. All DECS issuances or any provision of previous issuances inconsistent with these policies are hereby rescinded.

3. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is desired.

Adopted: 26 Jan. 1999

(SGD.) ANDREW GONZALES, FSC
Secretary