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Teachers assist students at the Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School in Manila on the first day of classes on August 22, 2022.

Teachers assist students at the Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School in Manila on the first day of classes on August 22, 2022. Thousands of students flocked to schools as face-to-face classes resumed after two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

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Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said he is giving himself more time to choose the next education secretary, acknowledging that the task is “harder” as he seeks someone who can “bring up the test scores” in the country.</p><p>Marcos Jr. said earlier that he would name Vice President Sara Duterte’s replacement by the end of this week.</p><p>“It turns out it&#x27;s harder than I thought because we absolutely have to get it right. So I&#x27;m giving myself more time,” Marcos Jr. told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Makati.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/19/students-in-ph-have-among-the-lowest-performance-in-creative-thinking-pisa-results-show-2116">Students in PH have among the lowest performance in creative thinking, PISA results show</a></div><p>“Ang lagi naman nating tinitingnan ang mga test score natin (What we are always looking at is our test scores). We have to bring up the test scores — we all know that,” he said.</p><p>“Sa madaling sabi, oo nahirapan akong pumili dahil napaka-komplikado ng trabaho ng DepEd,” he said.</p><p>(In other words, yes, I am having a hard time choosing because the work of the DepEd chief is very complicated.)</p><p>The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that the Philippines ranked 60 out of 62 countries and economies that participated in the test which assessed students’ performance in creative thinking.</p><p>“The observed creative thinking performance in Philippines is lower than the expected performance, after accounting for performance in reading,” the PISA said after releasing the results of the tests in mid-June.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/21/pisa-2022-creative-thinking-should-start-in-homes-schools-expert-1628" id="isPasted">PISA 2022: Creative thinking should start in homes, schools - expert</a></div><p>An earlier study by PISA also showed that Filipino students were also the lowest scorers  in reading, math and science.</p><div><strong>&#x27;AN EDUCATOR WHO CAN HELP STUDENTS, TEACHERS&#x27;</strong></div><p>Marcos Jr. said he is looking for “somebody who has an understanding of what is important in terms of being an educator” but also has a “very good hand on the pillar of the DepEd, who can manage it properly, who understands the bureaucracy, who understands how to use the budget properly, all of these things.”</p><p>“So you need an educator who understands how to help the students, how to help the teachers, number one… But then, how do you achieve that?” the President said.</p><p>&quot;We also have to find the same person [who] has to have those qualities that can galvanize this very, very large democracy, which is the DepEd, and to achieve all of those gains, or all of those changes, to make the educational standard better,&quot; he said.</p><p>“Mahirap ang trabaho ng DepEd. That&#x27;s why we have to thank Inday Sara for, really, the effort that she put in,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/19/lack-of-textbooks-and-untrained-teachers-highlight-ph-education-issues-study-2102">RELATED: Lack of textbooks, untrained teachers highlight PH education issues, according to study</a></div><p>Duterte filed her resignation as education secretary earlier this month, but refused to explain why she left the Marcos Jr. Cabinet ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.</p><p>When asked if he already has a shortlist of candidates who can replace Duterte as DepEd chief, Marcos Jr. said: “I&#x27;m not going to let you tie me down to anything. We&#x27;re looking at everyone. We don&#x27;t make a shortlist.”</p><p>“There&#x27;s a great deal more work to be done, and we&#x27;ll find the right person for it,” he said.</p><div> </div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4APja13x8fw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said he is giving himself more time in choosing his next Education Secretary, admitting that the task is “harder” as he seeks someone who can “bring up the test scores” in the country.</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said he is giving himself more time in choosing his next Education Secretary, admitting that the task is “harder” as he seeks someone who can “bring up the test scores” in the country.

Marcos Jr. says looking for DepEd chief who can raise PH test scores

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Marcos Jr. says looking for DepEd chief who can raise PH test scores

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 29, 2024 12:53 PM PHT

Read More:

Department of Education

PISA

Sara Duterte

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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