“There should always be an involvement of the community”, thus said Mr. Rufino T. Reyes, the Division School-Based Management (SBM) Coordinator in his visit to Tagbina National High School to provide technical assistance in preparation for the Regional Surveillance to SBM Level III Schools, March 17, 2021.

Rufino brought his extensive experience in SBM by asking the school’s stakeholders questions that, according to him, will most likely be asked by the Regional evaluators come April 22-24, 2021.

The said surveillance is part of the Bulawanong Sulo Awards, Caraga Region’s mechanism in monitoring the schools which already passed the SBM Level III.

Being one of the only nine schools in the Division of Surigao del Sur which reached SBM Level III, Tagbina NHS will have to prove to the regional evaluators that it has been able to maintain or even surpass its outstanding performance back in 2019.

According to Thelma Tinambacan, the school’s SBM Coordinator, those SBM Levell III schools who could maintain their level performance for five years will receive the badge as a Regional Center of Excellence.

The pressure was visible. Dr. Rachel Methuselah R. Cumahig, School Principal III said that the long-term goal, however, is actually passing every Regional Evaluation until 2025.

“We are very glad that Mr. Rufino and his Co-Corrdinator, Mr. Voltaire Asildo are here to increase our chances of passing the evaluation. Their expertise is very impressive. They’re a big help”, said Dr. Cumahig after receiving the said division personnel on a one-day notice.

Rufino emphasized the importance of community involvement and transparency in his speeches. “It is a shared responsibility. The community and the school should work together, and there should be continuity of your best practices”, he said.

Key stakeholders listened as Rufino and Asildo enumerated and explained the artifacts, or documents needed for each of the four principles namely: Leadership and Governance, Curriculum and Implementation Accountability and Continuous Improvement and Management of Resources.

Assistant Principal and Principle 1 Chairperson Benedicta G. Capunong said that only minor things are lacking from the documents that she and her group prepared. “What we really need to work on is the Communication Plan Mechanism, aside from that, I think the rest are fairly easy to prepare” she Capunong.

Lani A. Ferrer, Yvonne Jane Paje and Adonis Abuloc, the chairpersons of SBM Principles 2,3 and 4 respectively, presented their documents for three consecutive school years since 2018, and were instructed by Rufino on what other means of verifications are needed and how to answer certain questions from the regional evaluators.

School-based Management is a program of the Department of Education which aims to empower the stakeholders of a certain school to to have significant authority to decide on the budget, personnel and curriculum of the school.

Also present in the said event are the School Governing Council officers headed by the President Mr. Warlito D. Untua, PTA President Sangguniang Bayan Member Vanessa V. Polizon and other officers, Mrs. Wilma A. Premarion, Tagbina District I Supervisor and several teachers and stakeholders from Barangay Quezon who were also evaluated at the same time.