THE DEPARTMENT of Education will adopt a competency-based merit selection plan to strengthen its recruitment process and increase personnel quality and retention.

Adhering to the principles of merit, competence, fitness, accountability, transparency and equal opportunity, the agency issued DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2022, which will serve as a guide in the selection, hiring, appointment, and promotion of individuals in the teaching, school administration, related teaching, and non-teaching positions in all DepEd offices and schools.

“The issuance of the merit selection plan is one of many interventions of the Department to improve the human resource policies and processes in order to better serve our learners and stakeholders. With this policy in place, we can ensure that we get and retain the right people for the right jobs in DepEd,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

The policy, which takes effect on September 1, 2022, aligns DepEd’s internal system on application, evaluation, selection and appointment with the provisions of the Civil Service Commission’s Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Actions.

It provides for a systematic method of selecting employees for first and second level positions, including second-level executive/managerial positions.

DepEd applicants will be assessed based on their competency, performance or prior work experience, outstanding accomplishments, education, learning and development interventions, potential, behavioral events interview, and other appropriate evaluative assessments.

To further strengthen transparency, DepEd will use an Open Ranking System in the comparative assessment process, where applicants will witness the actual evaluation of scores of all applicants present.

Meanwhile, a performance rating of at least Very Satisfactory in the last rating period before the date of assessment or screening is necessary for applicants for promotion or transfer, except for those vying for promotion to second-level entry positions.