DECS policies on selection and transfer of officials

The Order establishes policies governing the selection/appointment and transfer/reassignment of DECS officials.
Covered positions are:
- Regional Directors (RDs)
- Assistant Regional Directors (ARDs)
- Schools Division Superintendents (SDSs)
- Assistant Schools Division Superintendents (ASDSs)
- District Supervisors
- Principals (Elementary and Secondary)
- Their respective posting, subsequent transfer, or reassignment.
Appointments and transfers are structured differently depending on the position level, region/division specificity, and administrative process.

Selection/appointment for RDs, ARDs, SDSs, and ASDSs shall be based on a national ranking of applicants/candidates nationwide.
Appointments to these positions are national in scope and may not necessarily be division or region-specific.
The Secretariat of the National Search Committee (NSC) organized through DECS Memorandum No. 305, s. 1998 must:
- announce vacancies
- gather all applications received
- determine who will be included in the list of qualified applicants/candidates.
The NSC must act as a panel to:
- evaluate submitted documents
- conduct interviews
- gather background information and other selection tests/procedures the NSC deems necessary
- determine the most qualified applicants/candidates
- prepare a list of ranking candidates.

For positions of RDs and ARDs, the DECS Secretary must submit to the Office of the President:
- the names of at least three (3) recommendees for every position to be filled up whenever possible, and
- the supporting documents required in a Memorandum of the Office of the President dated July 7, 1998.

For positions of SDSs and ASDSs, a short list of the most ranking applicants/candidates must be sent to the region where the vacancy exists.
The regional director must conduct consultation with the Local School Board under the Local Government Code of 1991, and then forward to the DECS Secretary:
- the names of at least three (3) recommendees for every position to be filled up.
The DECS Secretary must then submit the list to the Office of the President together with the required documents.

Transfers/Reassignments of RDs and ARDs must be done every three (3) years.
RDs and ARDs may be retained in the same region for another three (3) years only.
Transfers/Reassignments of ASDSs and SDSs must be done every five (5) years.
As a matter of policy, no ARD and ASDS shall be promoted in his/her region and division of assignment, respectively.
Transfers/Reassignments for the above officials must be at the discretion of the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the National Search Committee and the Regional Director concerned.
In reassignments and transfers, the exigency of the service shall be a basic consideration.

Selection and appointment for District Supervisors and Principals (elementary and secondary) are the responsibility of the Schools Division Superintendent.
The selection and appointment are based on:
- DECS Order Nos. 8 and 54, s. 1993
- the 1995 DECS Qualification Standards Manual
- other rules and regulations.
Appointments for District Supervisors and Principals must be division-specific and not school-specific.
Division-specific appointment means District Supervisors and Principals may be transferred to any district or school within the division when the need arises.
Transfers/Reassignments for District Supervisors and Principals must be done every five (5) years.

Under exceptional circumstances, particularly in the exigency of the service, the Secretary may shorten or extend the tenure of service of the covered officials in a given station.
Tenure changes under exceptional circumstances may go beyond the transfer/reassignment periods stated in the Order.

All DECS issuances or any provision of previous issuances inconsistent with these policies are hereby rescinded.
Immediate dissemination and compliance with DECS Order No. 7, s. 1999 are required.