To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Heads, Public Elementary and Secondary Schools

1. Several queries have reached this Office regarding the hiring, placing and evaluating functions of the Regional Director and Schools Division Superintendents, as provided under R.A. 9155 (Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), specifically Rule III, Section 3.2.9 and Rule IV, Section 4.2.3 thereof.
2. For purposes of clarification, this Office reiterates that the hiring function includes the whole process of recruiting, ranking, selecting, appointing and assigning the best-qualified applicants/candidates for the vacant positions.
3. The appointment and assignment/reassignment of Principals (all classes) and other school heads are now within the authority of the Schools Division Superintendent. As such, the pertinent provisions of DECS Order No. 50, s. 1999 and DECS Order No. 4, s. 2001 have been modified accordingly, attention being invited to Section 15.2, Rule XV of the IRR of R.A. 9155.
4. The 1995 Qualification Standards for Unique Positions in the Department and the 1997 CSC Qualification Standards for Service-Wide Positions shall remain to be uniformly applied in determining the minimum qualifications for positions which shall include education, experience, training, and civil service eligibility.
5. The Regional/Division Selection Committees may conduct, if deemed necessary, a deep, selection process that strictly adheres to the principles of merit, competence, fitness and equality.
6. Strict compliance of all concerned is directed.

References:
DECS Orders: (Nos. 4, s. 2001 and 50, s. 1999); and DepEd Order: No. 1, s. 2003
Allotment: 1- -(D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, REAPPOINTMENT
OFFICIALS
QUALIFICATIONS