A study of administrative cases Region VI Ministry of Education and Culture

Abstract

Introduction The actuations and behavior of school administrators, other school officials and employees, and teachers are subject to continuous scrutiny by the public whom they serve. The leadership behavior of such school officials is observed every day as they go about their numerous duties. This behavior is observed and evaluated through formal and informal means by those who work with them and also by those they serve. The impression from the evaluation is that the image of Philippine school officials and teachers has been tarnished. It has been charged that there has been a progressive deterioration in the quality of their performance and their ethics. This results, according to the complaints, in corresponding deterioration of the quality of the products of the public as well as the private schools. These charges seem to be substantiated by the number of administrative cases submitted to the Office of the Regional Director, Ministry of Education and Culture, Region VI. If is then of utmost importance that a study of the misdemeanors of school administrators, teachers, and other school officials be made. Such a study would acquaint us with the extent to which our school officials in Western Visayas have violated the rules of service and conduct, thus adversely affecting the reputation of the school system in the region. Background of the Study As an authorized investigator of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Region VI, this writer has access to all records of administrative cases filed from 1966 up to the present. With the proclamation of martial law throughout the country on September 21, 1972, this investigator surmised that there must have been a decline in the number of reports against school officials, teachers, and employees since then. On the contrary, the number of administrative cases has increased. In 1975 alone forty- three reports against school officials were received at the MEC regional office, Region VI. This number, however, did not include those that were decided at the district level. This was the highest number up to 1976, and there had never been a year when no administrative case was reported. The Problem This study was intended to survey the incidence of school administrative cases in the Western Visayas from 1968 to 1976, to categorized these cases, and to report the types of subsequent action taken by the proper authorities. This investigation was aimed to answer the following questions: 1. What were the most common types of cases filed between 1968 and 1976, in the Western Visayas, when the respondents were classified according to: a) school division, b) official position, c) sex, d) school level (elementary, secondary, tertiary). 2. What common decisions were made on each type of proven offense? 3. What is the trend of occurrence of administrative cases from January, 1968 to September 20, 1972, and from September 21, 1972 to December 1976?