DepEd's New Policy on Giving Awards and Recognition (for High School)

Rationale

The new policy aims to give all learners equal opportunity to excel in relation to the standard set by the curriculum and focus on their own performance rather than to compete with one another.

It recognizes that all students have their unique strengths that need to be identified, strengthened, and publicly acknowledged.

The awards aim to acknowledge and promote student excellence and to provide formal recognition of student achievements that can motivate learners to strive for excellence in academic, leadership, and social responsibility.


What awards do we give?

DepEd Order No. 36 s.2016 specifies 3 types of awards, namely; Classroom Awards, Grade-level Awards & Special Recognition.

CLASSROOM AWARDS

• are recognition given to learners in each class or section. 

• A simple recognition may be given per quarter, semester, or at the end of the school year. 

• Awardees are given merit by the adviser and or other subject teachers in recognition of the learners’ outstanding performance in class.

GRADE-LEVEL AWARDS

• are given to qualified learners for every grade level at the end of the school year. 
• Candidates for the awards are deliberated by the Awards Committee (AC) if they have met the given criteria.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• is given by the school to the learners who have represented and/or won in competitions at the district, division, regional, national, or international levels
• These awardees have demonstrated their exemplary performance in academics, athletics, and the arts, and/or represented the school in DepEd recognized activities. 

• The school may also give due recognition to learners who have brought honor to school.

• The actual certificates, medals, trophies and/or plaques received by the learners from the various activities or competition shall be used to publicly affirm and acknowledge the contribution of the awardees in giving honor to the school.

• This will be done during a flag ceremony or in school-awarding ceremony.

How do schools determine awardees?

1. An Awards Committee (AC)  shall be organized by the school head or principal in every school for each grade level  at the beginning of the SY. For small schools, only one (1) AC shall be organized.

2. The committee must be composed of at least three (3) members from the teaching staff, guidance counselor or designated teacher. The total count of committee members should be odd numbers. The chairperson of the AC could be any of the teachers, department head, grade level chairperson, or curriculum head.

3. No member of the AC must be related within

the second degree of consanguinity or affinity

to any of the candidates for awards. 

4.  The AC shall use the report cards and permanent records for Academic Excellence Awards. For other awards, a portfolio of copies of all documents such as DepEd Advisories, written authorization from the school head/principal, certificates, medals, trophies, plaques, accomplishment reports (verified through certifications by proper authorities), and others shall be presented

5.  The report on the results of the AC shall be signed by all members of the committee and certified by the Principal. The Principal shall approve the final list of awardees upon the recommendation of the committee. If the Principal is related within the 2nd degree of consanguinity or affinity to any of the candidates for awards, he/she must inhibit from participating in the process. The approval shall come from the person next in rank.

6. The documents shall be kept in the office of the Principal for ready reference. Copies of the results shall be submitted to the Schools District and Division Offices. The AC, through the Office of the Principal shall release the final list of awardees upon the request of stakeholders for scholarship purposes.

7. The AC, together with the principal, shall determine roles and assign tasks to awardees (e.g. delivery of graduation speech, batch history) for the graduation or school-awarding ceremony.

Reference:

DepEd Order No. 36 Policy Guidelines on Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program