THE SECOND Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to review Republic Act 9155, or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, to address the unequal distribution of school division offices (SDOs) across the country.

During a recent EDCOM 2 hearing on DepEd’s charter and mandates, the Commission noted significant disparities in the number of schools managed by each SDO, resulting in uneven allocation of resources, personnel, and support nationwide.

Under Section 7 of RA 9155, a school division shall consist of a province or a city, each headed by a schools division superintendent.

However, EDCOM 2 found that the number of schools supervised by each SDO varies widely—even among those of similar classifications.

For instance, the Leyte division supervises 1,363 schools, while Caloocan City, also categorized as a large division, oversees only 319. The Cebu division, the largest in the country, manages 1,346 schools, whereas Batanes supervises just 28.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo stressed the need for immediate action to correct these imbalances.

“Do you need a law to create a new school division, or can DepEd do that on your own? What is the ideal staff-to-student ratio, and what do you plan to do about it?” he asked.

DepEd Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Atty. Filemon Javier explained that the current law limits the Department’s ability to establish additional divisions.

“Because the provision explicitly says that a division shall consist of a province or a city, it implies that there can only be one division in a province or city,” he said.

This restriction prevents DepEd from creating new divisions even when the number of students and schools in certain areas has significantly increased.

Under RA 9155, the functions of the Department were decentralized to empower schools and divisions to respond more effectively to local education needs—moving away from the overly centralized “memoracy” criticized by the first EDCOM in the 1990s.

EDCOM 2 Commissioner Rep. Steve Solon suggested that instead of creating new divisions, DepEd could consider expanding existing offices. “Can’t you just add more staff to the existing offices?” he proposed.

DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara acknowledged the challenge.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, Cong. Steve. But I think the opinion is that 1,300 schools is too much for one official to oversee—that’s the crux of it,” he said.

Romulo urged DepEd to submit its proposed amendments to RA 9155, along with the necessary budgetary requirements.

Usec. Javier recommended inserting the word “within” in the law to give the Department flexibility to establish more than one division within a province or city.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Senator Loren Legarda also reminded DepEd to coordinate with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the creation of plantilla positions and funding once new divisions are established.