REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

5420

House Bill No.

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is in the interest of the people and the future of our nation that each student receives a high
quality of education. Section I, Article XIV of the Constitution provides that the State shall
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. Further, Section (2)(1) of the same
mandates that the State shall establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and
integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and the society. Thus, the
improvement of public's access to public school performance indicators, and the benefits of the
increasing public investment in the Philippines’ schools is just but necessary, especially that most
of the Filipino students are falling behind those in other countries.

This bill seeks to create the Division of Public School Accountability which shall administer all
monitoring and compliance activities dealing with academic accountability for each school or
school district and to report academic progress. The presence of such shall hold each of the
country's public schools accountable for the academic progress of each student. Further, this
proposed measure shall bring forth a comprehensive system to hold students, schools, and
districts accountable for improving student performance and measuring the academic
achievements of all students. This, in the long run, shall ensure that each child in the Philippines
shall receive a high quality education consistent with nationwide content and performance
standards.

In view of the foregoing, the early passage of this bill is earnestly sought.


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
5420

House Bill

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO-

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY TO
ADMINISTER ALL MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE ACTIVITIES DEALING
WITH ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY FOR EACH SCHOOL OR SCHOOL
DISTRICT, AND TO REPORT ACADEMIC PROGRESS, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act may be cited as the "Division of Public School Academic
Accountability Act of 2017."

SEC. 2. Purposes.

1. To enhance the public's access to public school performance indicators and to better
measure the benefits of the increasing public investment in the Philippines’ schools, the
Division of Public School Accountability of the Department of Education, hereinafter
referred as DepEd, should be established under the direct operational control of the
DepEd Secretary; and

2. The foremost obligation of the division shall be to administer all monitoring and
compliance activities dealing with academic and fiscal accountability for each school or
school district and to report academic progress.

‘SEC. 3. Creation of the Division..- The Division of Public School Accountability of the
Department of Education, hereinafter referred to as Division, is hereby created.

SEC. 4. Membership to the Division.-

1. The division shall be under the supervision of the DepEd Secretary;

2. The Secretary shall select an individual to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the
Division, and the Assistant Secretary shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary

a) The Secretary may reassign as necessary appropriate staff for the Division
sufficient to fulfill all obligations for monitoring and reporting in the division;

b) The person selected as the Assistant Secretary shall
i. Be a person of good moral character and qualified technically and by

experience to direct the work of the division;
1


ii, Hold a master’s degree or a higher level degree from an accredited
institution; and

iii, | Have ten (10) years of experience in an administrative, supervisory, or
management position.

c) No person who is related within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity to
any DepEd official or to the Secretary shall be eligible to serve as the Assistant
Secretary,

SEC.S. Jurisdiction of the Assistant Secretary of the Division.-

With guidance and approval from the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary shall be
responsible for hiring all employees of the Division;

The Division shall have the following responsibilities:
a) To monitor schools for compliance with:
i Government regulations;
ii. Legislative acts and court-ordered mandates;

iii, _ All standards of learning and accreditation as established by the DepEd;
and

iv. All rules and regulations as established by the DepEd;

b) To coordinate the analysis, dissemination, and reporting of all augmented,
criterion-referenced, or norm-referenced assessment information;

c) To coordinate the implementation and administration of.

i, Longitudinal tracking and trend data collection as established by the
DepEd for the purposes of improving student and school performance,
ensuring mastery of the curriculum, and providing comparisons between
students within the country;

ii, Value-added assessments as established by the DepEd; and
iii, ‘The annual school performance reports as established by the DepEd.

4) To administer all monitoring and compliance activities dealing with academic and
fiscal accountability as established by the state board; and

e) To work with program approval and certification sections of the Department of
Education, the Department of Higher Education, the Department of Workforce
Education, and the individual colleges to provide information that win contribute
to reasonable, equitable, and excellent preparation of certified personnel in public
and private institutions of higher education.


39

42

SEC. 6. Creation of the Philippine Public Schools Accountability Advisory Council-
There is created the Philippine Public Schools Accountability Advisory Council
(hereinafter referred to as the Council), which shall begin operation within one hundred
twenty (120) calendar days following the enactment of this Act.

‘The membership of the Council shall include:

a) One (1) member who shall be a representative of an educators’ union in the
country;

b) One (1) member who shall be a parent or guardian of at least one (1) student
currently enrolled in kindergarten through grade 6 in a public school in the
country;

©) One (1) member who shall be a representative of higher education;

4) One (1) member who is currently employed as a teacher in kindergarten through
grade six in a public school system in the country; and

e) One (1) member who shall be a representative of the administration of a public
school in the country.

. The Council shall provide advice and consultation services for the Assistant Secretary;

The Council may be convened by the Chair of the Council, by the DepEd Secretary, or by
the Division's Assistant Secretary.

SEC. 7. Submission of Annual Reports.-
The Division shall provide annual reports of school performance or compliance to the
Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the House of Representatives

Committee on Basic Education and Culture;

A preliminary report shall be provided by January 1 of each year, and a follow-up report
that includes information regarding on-site visits shall be filed by June 1 of each year.

SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. Any laws, decrees, ordinances or rules and regulations which

are inconsistent with or contrary to the provision of this Act is hereby amended or repealed.

SEC. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid or

unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected hereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 10. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete

publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation

Approved,