WHILE many were doubtful at first whether Vice President Sara Duterte would make a good education secretary, her various programs, projects and accomplishments in the Department of Education (DepEd), which were published by her supporters on social media following her resignation, belie the claims of her perennial critics such as Rep. France Castro of ACT-Teachers party-list group.
VP Sara’s office has prepared a full report on her accomplishments as chief of DepEd.
Anybody who is interested in this can access it through the internet and social media platforms of the Office of the Vice President. Setting aside any political bias, we must admit that being education chief at a time when the country is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic is quite a formidable job.
DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said in October 2022 that in the previous two years, many students could not return to school. So the biggest accomplishment for the first 100 days of Duterte’s incumbency at the education department is the resumption of face-to-face classes. He said the department tried to reopen in-person classes in the country “as safe as possible” by giving students enrollment options and releasing guidelines to ensure safety protocols, among others.
‘… this decision will have an impact on the lives of millions of Filipinos, most of them children.’
There were also failed attempts at reforms, and even more new programs that Duterte had to leave unfinished. But by and large, the Vice President performed creditably as head of DepEd, and now they’re finding it hard to find a replacement for her.
After announcing that he will pick a new education secretary soon, President Marcos Jr said the next day that he will need a little more time to go over all the applicants’ documents and profiles The President stressed he is looking for someone who can galvanize the large bureaucracy and handle the complicated work.
“We have to choose somebody who has an understanding of what is important in terms of being an educator. But then we also have to find the same person who has to have those qualities that can galvanize this very, very large bureaucracy which is the DepEd and to achieve all of those gains or all of those changes to make the educational standard better,” he said.
President Marcos said there were calls for the new secretary to be an educator, administrator, and a history professor.
“All of these and they are all valid concerns. That’s what education is all about. And that is why… I’ve gone through so many CVs (curriculum vitae). Marami tayong magagaling,” he said.
But academic qualification and work experience are not the only things that matter in picking an education secretary. And the President is well aware of that. In a recent interview, Marcos highlighted the need to appoint an educator who can help both the teachers and students.
Recent studies and surveys made abroad have documented that Filipino students lack basic reading skills, and are behind among Southeast Asian children in mathematics and science.
They also lack creative skills, it was pointed out in several studies.
This is one reason the President is putting emphasis on improving the test scores of our learners. Knowledge and skills prepare our youth for the life ahead, and it is the shared responsibility of the school and the home to provide this badly needed support.
Marcos recognizes the difficult task of being head of the DepEd. That is why he has expressed his gratitude to Vice President Sara Duterte for her work in the department, “for the effort that she put in.”
The President needs some more time to decide on Duterte’s replacement. After all, this decision will have an impact on the lives of millions of Filipinos, most of them children.
