LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — In fitting rites, the Department of Education – Cordillera Administrative Region (DepEd CAR) honored the best performing offices, schools, and employees last December 16 with Baguio City once again emerging as the Best Performing Schools Division Office.
The annual search in line with DepEd-CAR’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) aims to recognize and reward outstanding achievements in the delivery of basic education, encourage innovative and sustainable practices in education, and promote quality performance and commitment to public service according to PRAISE committee chairperson and OIC Assistant Regional Director Soraya T. Faculo.
“Employee recognition efforts play a key role in promoting organizational health and well-being of every worker. Rewarding our employees translates to giving primacy to the human capital resource and explicitly expressing that DepEd-CAR is a great place to work (in),” Faculo expressed.
Baguio City was adjudged for the second time around as the Best Schools Division Office based on criteria which include utilization of funds, percentage of teaching and non-teaching items filled, percentage of school sites with titles, accomplishments of annual implementation plans and division education development plans, as well as performance indicators like completion, retention, and graduation rates of learners. The city division received a P30,000 cash prize and a plaque of recognition.
Best performing public schools are Bucay North Elementary School of Abra and Ifugao Provincial Science High School of Ifugao while Saint Louis Center’s Elementary and High School Departments of Baguio City bagged both the best performing private elementary school and best performing private high school. The schools received plaques of recognition and a cash prize of P20,000 each.
On the other hand, two educators in Mtn. Province, Juliet V. Madalla and Josephine M. Bayongasan, were named best performing public elementary and secondary school teachers, respectively. They each received a P10,000 cash prize and a plaque of recognition.
In the non-teaching category, Arlene D. Cayat of Benguet garnered the best performing non-teaching personnel for level 1 while Gary B. Tukaki of Mtn. Province won the same for level 2 personnel. Each received a plaque of recognition and P10,000.
Besting others, Ester Hydie L. Pucdihon, a public elementary school head in Baguio received the best performing school head citation and Wilfred C. Bagsao, an education supervisor of Benguet, earned the best performing supervisor award.
DepEd OIC Regional Director Beatriz G. Torno commended the awardees and urged them to continually effect change and be models of efficiency and effectiveness in order that they can be the impetus to the achievement of the vision and mission of the Department.
In some categories this year, no best performers were declared since the applicants did not reach the qualifying points of 80 based on the criteria provided in Regional Memorandum Number 220, series of 2016. The nominees from each division or province, however, were named as finalists and also received cash prizes and plaques of participation. These categories are the best performing private elementary and secondary teacher, best performing multi-grade teacher, best performing private elementary and secondary school heads, and best performing public secondary school head.
Meanwhile, employees in the DepEd regional office who rendered 15 to 40 years of service were awarded gold service medallions, silver service rings, and bronze service pins. Among the loyalty awardees is former DepEd Regional Director Ellen B. Donato who retired June this year and served for 40 years in the Department. ** Georaloy I. Palao-ay
