School Heads' Instructional Competence and Financial Management Skills in Relation to Teachers' Performance

Abstract: This study aimed to assess the instructional competence and financial management skills of School Heads in relation to teachers' performance in a district within a fourth-class municipality in Negros Oriental during the School Year 2022–2023. A three-part, teacher-made questionnaire was administered to 60 purposively selected teachers from five schools. The instruments underwent face and content validation by five education experts and demonstrated excellent reliability, with Cronbach's Alpha values of 0.952 and 0.962 for instructional competence and financial management skills, respectively. Data analysis employed frequency, percentage, mean, and the Mann-Whitney U Test at a 0.05 significance level. Results indicated no significant differences in support levels for School Heads and community partnerships in physical and emotional areas, but a significant difference was noted in the financial area based on highest educational attainment. There were also no significant differences found in the extent of compliance or level of difficulties. Recommendations include showcasing instructional competence through “lakbay-aral” (educational visits), leveraging School Heads’ roles to improve student outcomes, rotating leadership among school leaders, and maintaining disaster preparedness. For financial management, promoting action research, policy implementation, continuous education, and leadership training across all teaching ranks were emphasized. Lastly, teachers are encouraged to sustain their efforts toward high performance and continuous improvement. Keywords: Financial management, instructional competence, teachers’ performance