Search begins for outstanding school governance councils

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Multiply-Ed Philippines has officially launched the School Governance Council (SGC) Awards 2025, the country’s first and only national recognition program dedicated to outstanding School Governance Councils. The call for entries is now open, inviting SGCs nationwide to showcase their best practices in promoting inclusive, transparent, and accountable education governance.

The SGC Awards is an initiative of Multiply-Ed, a national project led by the Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking (CYAN) and Government Watch (G-Watch), in partnership with youth and student organizations and with support from Education Out Loud of the Global Partnership for Education. The initiative aims to strengthen participatory education governance and recognize councils that embody leadership, innovation, and community collaboration.

School Governance Councils (SGCs) function as feedback mechanisms and platforms for shared decision-making in schools. They bring together school heads, teachers, parents, learners, and community representatives to ensure that local education systems remain responsive, transparent, and accountable. Through the SGC Awards, Multiply-Ed seeks to honor those that are not only meeting this mandate but redefining it with impact.

SGCs may submit one entry in any of the following three categories:

• Trailblazer Award, which recognizes the most innovative initiative promoting transparency, participation, and accountability (TPA) in school governance;
• Solidarity Award, which highlights efforts that fostered strong partnerships and collaboration among various stakeholders within the community;
• Inclusivity Award, which celebrates initiatives that promote the active involvement and empowerment of marginalized learners.

All SGCs across the country are eligible to apply. Entries must be submitted by any member of the council, accompanied by the completed application form and supporting documentation such as photographs, videos, reports, or articles that provide evidence of the initiative’s implementation and impact.

The submission period runs from August 11 to September 10, 2025. Interested SGCs can download the application form and learn more about the mechanics by visiting bit.ly/JoinSGCAwards2025. All entries must be sent via email to multiply-ed.comms@cyanpilipinas.org with the subject line formatted as: School Name_SGC Awards_Category.

Submissions will be evaluated based on a set of criteria tailored to each award category. Common indicators include the degree of impact or change achieved (30%), the level of youth involvement and leadership (20%), and the design or structure of the project (10%). Category-specific indicators such as use and application of TPA, partnership and collaboration, or marginalized learner inclusion and empowerment carry the highest weight at 40%.

Through the SGC Awards, Multiply-Ed reinforces its advocacy for #MalayangEdukasyonPH, a vision of an inclusive, resilient, and democratic public education system. It seeks to amplify the stories of community-driven education leadership that often go unrecognized, and to inspire more schools to embrace shared governance as a pathway toward lasting educational reform.

For more information or questions, the public is encouraged to reach out via Multiply-Ed’s official Facebook page.