INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as “The Higher Education Act” (Retrieved online May 5, 2023 https://lawphil.net), was signed into law creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Among others, the Commission carries out its function of establishing a complete, adequate and integrated system of higher education that promotes relevant and quality higher education, ensures access to quality higher education, development of responsible and effective leadership, education of high level professionals, enrichment of historical and cultural heritages, and commits to moral ascendancy that eradicates corrupt practices, institutionalizes transparency and accountability and encourages participatory governance (CHED, 2022).
To support this law, Batas Pambansa Blg. 232 The Education Act (Retrieved online May 5, 2023 https://studucum.com), was promulgated providing for the establishment and maintenance of an integrated system of education that shall apply to and govern both formal and non- formal systems in public and private schools in all levels of the entire educational system (retrieved online May 5, 2023 https://lawphil.net).
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are headed by school administrator to fulfill the duties and responsibilities under the purpose of the foundation, vision, and mission of the school (Menteşe, 2021). The administrator is aided by the department heads and deans who ensure quality instruction while operating within the school resources. Their work includes promoting social justice and equity, monito and evaluate institutional policies and practices, and warrant equitable access and distribution of resources for students, faculty, and staff.
Today’s higher education leadership challenges necessitate new forms of leadership (Kezar & Holcombe, 2023). Leaders in higher education seek to fulfill a range of responsibilities that are relatively consistent across diverse forms of institutional structures such as community colleges and universities, although the particularities of the responsibilities will vary according to the organizational type and purpose. Research showed that the ability of the administrator to carry out his leadership greatly influenced the effectiveness of the institution. One of the competencies and abilities that educational leaders must possess is managerial competence which include technical, interpersonal, conceptual, and administrative skills related to higher education management. Organizations, both public and private, demand results and organizational success often depends on specific managerial techniques.
This study therefore will fill the gap in the literature by correlating the administrative leadership and competence of deans and department heads of higher education institutions with their organizational decision making.
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