Vice President Sara Duterte, who resigned from her post as Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary, maintained on Tuesday, June 25, that her successor is not required to come from the education sector.

In an interview in Cagayan De Oro City, Duterte said that the new DepEd Secretary does not need to come from the education sector to perform his or her job in the biggest bureaucracy of the government.

When asked if the new DepEd Secretary must come from the education sector, Duterte replied, “No,” adding that the appointment would also depend on several factors.

“The position of the Secretary is a position of trust and confidence, unang-una (first and foremost),” Duterte said. “Walang nakalagay na requirements para sa isang Education Secretary (There are no specified requirements for an Education Secretary),” she added.

Duterte also noted that in Southeast Asia, not all Education Secretaries are from the education sector.

Aside from being Vice President and DepEd Secretary, Duterte also serves as the president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) representing the Philippines.

“Unang-una talaga, kapag secretary ka, kailangan talaga isa kang leader at isa kang manager (First and foremost, when you're a secretary, you really need to be both a leader and a manager),” Duterte said.

Duterte resigned as DepEd Secretary on June 19. Her resignation will take effect next month, July 19.

Following her resignation, Duterte said that among her priorities include preparation for a smooth turnover and transition to the new DepEd Secretary.

“Sa ngayon nakatutok tayo sa transition ng DepEd from me to the new Secretary so so let us focus on that before tayo mag-discuss ng iba pang bagay (For now, we are focused on the transition of the Department of Education from me to the new Secretary, so let us focus on that before we discuss other matters),” Duterte said.

Appointing a non-political figure

Meanwhile, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) reiterated its appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to appoint a “non-political figure” as the next Education Secretary. In a statement issued on June 24, TDC Chairperson Benjo Basas emphasized the importance of selecting a candidate who is not actively involved in partisan politics.

"We call on our president to ensure that the next DepEd secretary is not a politician or actively involved in partisan politics,” Basas said. “This is to ensure that DepEd is spared from political bickering and being dragged into divisive political fighting,” he added.

For TDC, the primary focus of the new secretary should be on “educational advancement rather than a political agenda.”

Moreover, Basas highlighted the critical need for an effective manager to lead the largest bureaucracy in the country.

Basas also stressed the importance of appointing someone from the academe or with experience in public school teaching.

“We hope that the next secretary comes from the academe, or at the very least, has experience teaching in a public school,” Basas said.

“It is essential that this person has firsthand experience with the daily challenges faced by teachers and students,” Basas said, noting that such a background would provide the new secretary with a “deeper understanding and empathy” for the situation on the ground.

Basas also noted that having lived through the experiences of teachers and students would ensure that the secretary's decisions are “informed by practical knowledge and a genuine commitment” to improving the educational environment.

The heart of the new DepEd Secretary, TDC said, “should be truly that of a teacher's, dedicated to the mission of nurturing and educating the nation's youth.”

A leader of principles, action

For the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, the next DepEd Secretary should first and foremost be a “leader of principles and of action.”

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https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/20/one-less-thorn-group-welcomes-duterte-s-resignation-as-dep-ed-chief

In a statement issued June 20, ACT noted that before scholastic credentials and professional competencies, the next DepEd Secretary should be a leader of principles and action if “we want meaningful changes in the education system that are deep in crisis.”

“We have had enough of officials who have no respect for our unions and organizations, treat us like subjects, and rule the agency in a top-down approach,” ACT Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said.

Quetua said that the new DepEd Chief should be a “democratic leader would have a clear grasp of the situation on the ground, and his/her policies and programs would benefit from the wealth of ideas that teachers, students, and parents have to share based on their daily experiences.”

“The education secretary should have the sense to recognize the grave crisis in education, the desperate quality of education, the chronically underpaid and overworked status of our teachers and staff, and the degeneration of the country’s grasp of history and truth,” he said.

“From here, he/she should have enough courage and a clear vision as to how to overturn our situation through game-changing reforms,” he added.

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