With the NAT result out, newly appointed Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Josephine L. Fadul challenged the administrators and teachers in the division to work doubly hard to raise the achievement  of students to the mastery level during the 1st Division MANCOM last June 26, 2008 held at the local restaurant in Panabo City.

    During the said conference, Division Planning Officer Erick Dalumpines presented the performance of the Division compared to that of the other  divisions, the region, and the national result. He also reported in the detail the different competencies on which we scored high and low. 

    Dr. Fadul pointed out the real scenario of the division in terms of the achievement and called for a no-nonsense approach to raise the NAT result to 75%. According to her, the usual practice which is to target a 2% increase over last year's performance is not enough and would take forever to reach mastery. She stressed that the NAT is the barometer in measuring teacher's competence. 

    Among the solutions crafted during the said meeting were:

1. Regulating the travels of School Heads, Teachers, and students and focus on instruction.
2. coming up of matrices of competencies for each subject areas and dividing it for weeks
3. setting of review classes on Saturdays
   
4. assessment of students be competency-based
5. centralization of periodical test 
6. intensified observation of ES in both Secondary and Elementary

    The new SDS also informed the different administrators of her routine of visiting every school in the division to personally meet the teachers and students and have the first hand information of their needs.

    She also stressed that with all the support the division is giving, she will only demand nothing more and nothing less of what is expected of the teachers.

    Dr. Josephine L. Fadul  is a former Assistant Schools Division Superintendent of the Division of Davao del Norte.