Implementing School Governing Councils in Philippine Basic Education: An Analysis of Challenges and Outcomes in DepEd Camarines Sur

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine and evaluate the seasonality and sustainability problems, successes, and shortcomings that schools in the Department of Education (DepEd), Camarines Sur, Philippines, faced when implementing School Governing Council (SGC) programs and initiatives. Study Design: Key informant interviews and thematic analysis were used in this study's qualitative descriptive design. To guarantee validity and reliability, member checking and data triangulation were used. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Education, Division of Camarines Sur, Philippines, between August 2022 and May 2023. Methodology: Key informant interviews and surveys were used to gather information from 176 participants, including teachers, school administrators, SGC members, and community stakeholders from five Camarines Sur congressional districts. To find recurrent themes about seasonality problems, sustainability challenges, gains, and gaps in SGC implementation, thematic analysis with iterative coding was used. Results: The most important factor influencing the sustainability and seasonality of SGC programs was found to be funding availability. Inadequate staff training and scheduling conflicts with schools were found to be major seasonality issues that resulted in sporadic program disruptions. Inadequate member commitment, time constraints, and challenges sustaining fruitful external partnerships all posed challenges to sustainability. Despite these difficulties, the implementation of SGC led to notable improvements in school climate, school-community relations, and shared governance structures. Critical implementation gaps still exist, though, such as low community involvement, insufficient resources, poor role and responsibility understanding, and inadequate training for SGC members. Conclusion: Even though SGC has improved shared governance and school climate, sustainability is threatened by persistent problems with funding, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. Comprehensive strategies, such as systematic training programs with clear competency frameworks, precise role delineation for all stakeholders, predictable funding mechanisms independent of political cycles, and culturally appropriate community participation frameworks that lower barriers for economically disadvantaged families, are desperately needed to ensure effective and sustainable school governance in basic education in the Philippines. These results offer evidence-based insights that can strengthen participatory governance structures and guide policy reforms in basic education in the Philippines and in other resource-constrained contexts worldwide.