By: Maricar A. Afuang
Araling Panlipunan Coordinator/Principal II
Majayjay Elementary School, SDO Laguna
To be a school head is not an easy job – as most would say. It takes a lot of courage, perseverance, and hard work to become one. They must play multiple roles — from dealing with the learners, and teachers, to dealing with financial aspects and memos on how to manage a school — indeed not everyone is cut out for this job.
From the transition of remote learning to face-to-face classes, school principals were tasked with the responsibility of being able to balance the teachers’ and learners’ academic, social, emotional, and physical needs in response to the pressing concerns of today.
As per DepEd Memorandum No. 50, series of 2020 entitled DepEd Professional Development (PD) Priorities of Teachers and School Leaders for SY 2020 – 2023, School Heads must undergo different professional development in support of the operationalization of the school considering COVID-19 focusing on the following domains: 1. Leading Strategically; 2. Managing School Operations and Resources; 3. Focusing on Teaching and Learning; 4. Developing Self and Others; and 5. Building Connections.
With this, the Office Performance Commitment and Review Form (OPCRF) is crafted to set performance standards and measure the progress of the school head based on office and department targets. Having five Key Result Areas (KRA) namely: (1) School Leadership and Management Operations; (2) Instructional Leadership in the New Normal; (3) Learning Environment in the New Normal; (4) Human Resource Management and Development; and (5) Parents’ Involvement and Community Partnership along with the Plus Factors, indeed school heads as the main leader of a school has to play multiple roles in each.
For the first role of school heads, KRA 1 focuses on their role on how they will be able to carry out safe operations or overall school management – crafting the Enhanced School Learning Continuity Plan and School Improvement Plan – which is to put into consideration every teacher and learners’ welfare. The principal must be able to balance every aspect of the school to be able to come up with the best plan of service in delivering quality education to all learners despite the pandemic.
Secondly, school heads must also look deeper into the teaching-learning process in the new normal which is the focus KRA 2. As a school head, he/she must be able to work with his/her teachers in developing the best approach/technique/strategy to be employed in this new normal setup. If these are still relevant, teachers are to continue these; if not, an evaluation must be done to realign them to standards.
Another role would be KRA 3 which concerns the whole school learning environment. Looking into the implications of this in the delivery of education for both teachers and learners, there should be a healthy and inclusive learning environment where everyone feels safe and guarded against any threat that may arise. School facilities, repairs, and health compliance are the things that must be looked into to ensure the maintained well-being and protection of everyone in the school.
Fourth KRA focuses on our teaching personnel making sure that every school head is following the proper load distribution and cares for the professional development of every teacher. Coordinatorships, ancillary assignments, and their designation orders must be properly laid out to make sure they are well-informed of their tasks to be able to contribute to the performance of the school.
Lastly, KRA 5 is more on partnerships. Parents’ and students’ involvement along with the community as a tool to strengthen support for every learner’s development is a must. Making strong bonds with them through the Memorandum of Agreements (MOA), informing them of the school’s programs, projects, and activities, and involving them will contribute to the betterment and development of our schools.
A handful of tasks are placed on the shoulders of a school head. The usual dealing with minor crises, conflicts, daily hassles, and frustration among students, parents, or their staff. The principal – being the head of the school – also attends to these kinds of matters. Nevertheless, with the help of everyone in the education system – internal and external stakeholders – these are not deemed to be seen as burdens but an opportunity to make our schools an avenue for learning and improvement in every aspect of our lives.
