ABSTRACT
This descriptive-qualitative study determined the administrative challenges and management of school heads and teachers on the implementation of NLC in the Schools District of San Miguel during the school year 2024-2025. It was found out based on the results of the in-depth interview with the participants that the administrative challenges encountered by school heads were lack of instructional materials, lack of motivation, lack of resources, lack of assessment, lack of teachers’ training, time constraints, and lack of parents’ support. Teachers encountered lack of motivation, limited resources, lack of parents’ support, and lack of teachers’ training. The school heads’ ways of managing administrative challenges were working together, optimum use of scarce resources, contextualized teaching, formulation of school policies, provision of resources, provision of varied activities, and establishment of professional development. Teachers’ manage it through the conduct of orientation with stakeholders, allocation of resources and management, collaboration with stakeholders, contextualization of teaching, and provision of professional support.
Keywords: administrative, challenges, management, implementation, National Learning Camp, enhancement program
INTRODUCTION
Literacy and numeracy skills are very important for the learners to learn other competencies that needed for basic education. A lot of programs and projects were already implemented in relation to literacy and numeracy on the ground but there are still learners who could hardly read and compute that resulted to their low grades in their academic subjects at the end of the school year. To address the gap before the new school year starts, the Department of Education implemented the National Learning Camp (NLC). This program sought to improve reading and numeracy skills, accelerate the achievement of educational objectives, and strengthen the department’s learning recovery and continuity initiatives. In alignment with the MATATAG Agenda, the Department of Education (DepEd) introduced the National Learning Camp (NLC) to bridge learning gaps and support K–12 students in public elementary and secondary schools nationwide in meeting academic standards.
Learners are categorized into one of three camps based on their individual learning needs: The Enhancement Camp, Consolidation Camp, or Intervention Camp. The Enhancement Camp enriches the learning experience of advanced students by deepening their understanding and expanding the complexity of subject competencies. Meanwhile, the Consolidation Camp reinforces previously taught concepts through additional practice and application, allowing students to establish connections across various grade-level competencies (Shukia, 2020). Conversely, the Intervention Camp provides targeted support for learners who have yet to master foundational skills in both mathematics and English.
The NLC recognizes the crucial role of teachers in enhancing student learning outcomes and, therefore, aims to both improve student performance and strengthen teacher capabilities. Additionally, National Learning Camps promote educational equity by offering supplementary support to students at risk of academic disparities. By ensuring equal learning opportunities regardless of socioeconomic status or geographical location, these camps help create a more level playing field. Unlike traditional classroom settings, National Learning Camps provide personalized instruction tailored to each learner’s needs, accommodating diverse learning styles, abilities, and interests. Designed with inclusivity in mind, they also cater to students facing linguistic challenges or disabilities, ensuring that all learners can benefit from the program. Teachers have opportunities for professional development at the camps. By taking part in National Learning Camps, educators can enhance their methods in the classroom and adapt to changing learning environments, which will ultimately help the larger educational system. Because of their adaptability, National Learning Camps are a great tool for addressing a wide range of educational problems, including those resulting from unforeseen emergencies or natural catastrophes (Morales & Olua, 2024). The way the National Learning Camp is being implemented in the different schools vary from its other depending on the administrative supports provided by the stakeholders of the school. Sometimes there are administrative challenges encountered by school heads and teachers on the implementation of the NLC that need to be settled but due to lack of resources and immediate support, the school will just implement the program according to its scarce resources and understanding about the program. Its seems that the implementation of the NLC is just a compliance to what the higher office is being imposed when in fact the program is voluntary in nature and the teachers are just implementing the program for their school heads to show that they implemented the program.
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