ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Leadership in Education
This article is part of the Research TopicReimagining Peace Education in a Fragmented World: Democratic Participation, Civic Agency, Democratic Futures and Conflict PreventionView all 3 articles
Leadership Beyond Access: Adaptive Management and Peacebuilding in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas in the Philippines
Provisionally accepted
NADZMIN JALANI DUGASAN1,2
Nilo Jayoma Castulo1*
Almira Amilbangsa Hadji1
AL-SABRIE SAHIJUAN1,3
Pattra Sakib Ugis1,4
SOLITA UTOH-ASIM JEMSY1,5
SHERNAIZA HAJAD1,6
Russel B. Reyes1,7
Zeda Sangkula1,8
Kharsum Mohammad1,9
RADZMALYN ABDURAHMAN AKMAD1,10
Radzmal Soriano Abbani1,11
Ajilma Majid Tambihasan12
Alsadjaik Ytang Sabdul12
Darwisa K. Sali-Ondo12- 1​Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Services, College of Education, Mindanao State University - Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 2Alternative Learning System, Salamat Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 3Pagasinan National High School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 4Simandagit Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 5Yusop Dais Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 6Baunu Garing Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 7Bongao Central Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 8Badjao-Kasulutan Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 9Bongao Central Laboratory School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 10Imam Gayong Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 11Looknato Elementary School, Tawi-tawi, Philippines
- 12Mindanao State University Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography, Bongao, Philippines
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This study examines how school heads in the southern Philippines enact adaptive leadership and peacebuilding in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs). In these contexts, which are marked by resource scarcity, cultural diversity, and geographic isolation, educational leadership extends beyond administrative management to encompass adaptability, collaboration, and ethically grounded decision making. Using a qualitative case study design, data were gathered from seven school heads through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and document review. Thematic analysis revealed two overarching dimensions: adaptive leadership and community peacebuilding. Within adaptive leadership, themes such as community engagement, resourcefulness, and moral stewardship in decision making emerged as vital leadership attributes. Leaders demonstrated flexibility in managing limited resources, fostering collective problem-solving, and sustaining school operations despite constraints. In the domain of peacebuilding, strong community partnerships, inclusive communication, and collaborative decision making surfaced as mechanisms for maintaining social harmony and ensuring educational continuity. Observation data further illustrated how leadership practices were embedded in material school conditions, including deteriorating infrastructure, long travel distances, and reliance on community labor. These findings highlight the fact that effective leadership in GIDAs depends on contextual adaptability, shared responsibility, and ethical commitment. Leadership beyond access, therefore, signifies not only coping with adversity, but also navigating tensions between sustainability, leader well-being, and chronic scarcity while positioning schools as spaces of peace and social cohesion.
Keywords: Adaptive leadership, Community Engagement, Educational Leadership, geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), peacebuilding
Received: 16 Oct 2025; Accepted: 27 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 DUGASAN, Castulo, Hadji, SAHIJUAN, Ugis, JEMSY, HAJAD, Reyes, Sangkula, Mohammad, AKMAD, Abbani, Tambihasan, Sabdul and Sali-Ondo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nilo Jayoma Castulo
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