The Department of Education (DepEd) plans to establish 13 new Schools Division Offices (SDOs) and 15 interim field offices to improve service delivery to schools in remote islands and mountainous areas across the country.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the reorganization aims to ease administrative workloads and bring support closer to teachers and school heads, including salary processing and technical assistance.
Based on the agency’s assessment of 221 existing division offices, nine provinces require organizational changes due to the wide geographic coverage of their divisions and transportation challenges.
These provinces are Bohol, Palawan, Masbate, Quezon, Cebu, Leyte, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Cagayan, where the proposed new divisions will be established.
The DepEd will also set up interim field offices in areas such as Laoang in Northern Samar, Guiuan in Eastern Samar, Bislig City in Surigao del Sur, and Siasi in Sulu.
Meanwhile, the department will work with Congress to update Republic Act No. 9155, or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, and coordinate with local government units to secure facilities for the new offices.
