Senate President Win Gatchalian has raised concerns over the persistent shortage of school principals in the country’s public schools, citing estimates that as many as 23,000, or nearly 50% of the 45,928 public schools nationwide, have no appointed school head.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has requested an additional ₱10.52 billion to create 14,126 School Principal I positions to help address the shortage.

During a recent budget hearing on the proposed 2027 budget of DepEd and its attached agencies, Gatchalian pointed out the lack of funding for the creation of new principal positions next year.

“Next year, this is the problem: there is no budget for the creation of principal positions. This is something that we’re trying to solve in terms of operations,” Gatchalian said.

The Senate President stressed the importance of having school principals, noting their role in providing leadership, guiding teachers, and boosting staff morale. He emphasized the need to address the shortage to ensure effective school management and leadership in public schools.

Meanwhile, Education Undersecretary Wilfredo Cabral said some vacant principal positions could be filled through the reclassification of Head Teachers and Teachers-in-Charge under the Expanded Career Progression System.

The system received an allocation of ₱12.09 billion under the National Expenditure Program, which could help facilitate career advancement and fill some of the leadership gaps in public schools.