Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)

Vice President Sara Duterte's two-year stint as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary worsened the country’s education crisis, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said.

Castro, a House deputy minority leader, pointed to the findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) as justification.

"The EDCOM II findings confirm what we have been saying all along - that VP Sara Duterte's stint as DepEd Secretary was marked by gross mismanagement and neglect that worsened our education crisis," Castro said in a statement Tuesday, Jan. 28.

"Sa halip na tugunan ang mga pangunahing suliranin ng edukasyon, ginawa pa niyang personal na piggy bank ang confidential funds ng DepEd at pinabayaan ang mga tunay na pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral at guro," she claimed.

(Instead of addressing the main problems of education, she turned DepEd confidential funds into her personal piggy bank and left the students and teachers to fend for themselves.)

Castro cited the EDCOM II reports which showed that under Duterte's watch, the late delivery of textbooks and lack of teacher training hampered the implementation of the MATATAG curriculum. 

The classroom backlog also ballooned to over 165,000. 

"Nawalan ng halos kalahati ng learning days ang mga estudyante dahil sa mga class suspensions at kalamidad, pero wala siyang ginawang konkretong hakbang para masolusyunan ito," said the Makabayan solon.

(Students' learning days were cut by nearly half due to class suspensions and calamities, but she didn't do any concrete steps to address this.)

"Also under VP Duterte fifty-five percent of public schools have operated without fully designated school principals. The quantity, quality, and qualifications of school leaders are in a dismal state. Data reveal that only 45% of public schools have a designated school 

principal, with 12,057 schools with incorrect school head items, contrary to DepEd’s own policies," she added.

"The EDCOM II reports validate our position that we need fundamental reforms in our education system, not just superficial changes or reliance on confidential funds," Castro concluded. 

Vice President Duterte served as education secretary from June 30, 2022 to July 19, 2024.