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Department of Education Main Complex. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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<div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted"></span></div><p>MANILA — The new education secretary to replace Vice President Sara Duterte should be an educator and not a politician as floated by some, the Teachers&#x27; Dignity Coalition (TDC) said Tuesday.</p><p>The TDC said in a release that it was disappointed at the names reportedly being considered to helm the agency, reiterating its appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to refrain from appointing politicians to the position.</p><p>Marcos has not indicated who he is considering for the past, saying only over the weekend that he is looking for someone who can raise students&#x27; test scores. He acknowledged that picking an education secretary has been harder than he anticipated.</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">READ: Students in PH have among the lowest performance in creative thinking, PISA results show</a></div><p>Benjo Basas, TDC&#x27;s national chairperson, pointed out in the release that &quot;politicians always have political considerations, whether for upcoming elections or the interests of their party and political clan.&quot;</p><p>&quot;A politician is inherently prone to partisan biases that could potentially jeopardize the neutrality expected of a DepEd leader. Instead of focusing on their duties, a politician in such a role often ends up defending against political attacks, detracting from the department&#x27;s core functions and programs,&quot; Basas said.</p><p>None of the potential candidates being considered have a public school teacher background, Basas said, pointing out that there are qualified officials within the Department of Education&#x27;s ranks who &quot;possess the necessary qualifications but have not been considered.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/1/angara-says-willing-to-head-deped-if-tapped-by-marcos-jr-1334" id="isPasted">RELATED: Angara says willing to head DepEd if tapped by Marcos Jr</a></div><p>&quot;For us, it&#x27;s painful, if not insulting, that teachers themselves are not considered when they should ideally be the primary choice, not politicians,&quot; Basas said.</p><p>For the TDC, three things should be considered for the next DepEd Secretary:</p><p>— No political affiliations</p><p>— Strong management skills with experience in educational leadership</p><p>— A background in academia, specifically in public school teaching.</p><p>&quot;Avoid appointing politicians to DepEd, and do not use appointments as political accommodations or experiments in the education sector,&quot; Basas said.</p><p>Following the criteria &quot;would ensure that the new secretary advocates for policies that prioritize and respect teachers, fostering an environment conducive to morale and performance improvement,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/1/cocopea-submits-5-names-for-next-education-secretary-1838" id="isPasted">READ: COCOPEA submits 5 names for next Education Secretary</a></div><p>If a politician were to be appointed, the TDC said it &quot;could work well with individuals like Rep. Roman Romulo of Pasig or Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who have chaired the respective House and Senate Basic Education Committees and have made significant contributions to education, both in their districts and at national levels.&quot;</p><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">ACT Teachers party-list has not put forward suggested names but Rep. France Castro has warned against “political accomodations” in picking the new DepEd chief.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“Kailangan talaga natin ay may bitbit na solusyon sa education crisis, may malasakit sa pagtaas ng suweldo ng mga teachers at mga kawani sa edukasyon,” she said on June 20.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">(We need someone who will bring a solution to the education crisis and who will push for higher pay and benefits for teachers and education workers)</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/22/for-gatchalian-colleague-angara-is-best-bet-for-new-deped-sec-1939" id="isPasted">For Gatchalian, colleague Angara is best bet for new DepEd Sec</a><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/20/leni-as-deped-chief-ex-vp-eyeing-naga-mayoralty-in-2025-lagman-1657" id="isPasted"></a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/20/leni-as-deped-chief-ex-vp-eyeing-naga-mayoralty-in-2025-lagman-1657">Leni as DepEd chief? Ex-VP eyeing Naga mayoralty in 2025 - Lagman</a></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><br/></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/qGBy2fw5VuI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The new Education Secretary replacing Vice President Sara Duterte should be an educator and not a politician as floated by some, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) said Tuesday.</p>

The new Education Secretary replacing Vice President Sara Duterte should be an educator and not a politician as floated by some, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) said Tuesday.

Next DepEd chief should be educator not politician — teachers' group

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Next DepEd chief should be educator not politician — teachers' group

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Published Jul 02, 2024 10:03 AM PHT

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