President Marcos on Saturday said he would need more time to choose the next Education Secretary, acknowledging that the Cabinet portfolio entails “complicated” work as he needs someone who can “bring up the test scores” in the country.
“Simply put, I struggled to choose because the work of DepEd is very complicated. We have to see really what the DepEd needs,” he said.
“Of course, there are many calls for the new secretary to be an educator. There are many calls for the new secretary to be an administrator. There are new calls for a historical professor. All of these, and they are all valid concerns. That’s what education is all about,” Mr. Marcos added.
The President earlier said he would name a new DepEd chief by the weekend after Vice President Sara Duterte tendered her resignation on June 19.
Asked if he has a shortlist, Mr. Marcos said: “I’m not going to let you tie me down to anything. We’re looking at everyone. We don’t make a shortlist.”
Earlier, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) said the Philippines logged a mean score of 14 on the creative thinking performance of 15-year-old students.
According to PISA’s 2022 report released last week, the country’s score was the second-lowest among 64 ranked countries.
In December, DepEd acknowledged the PISA report indicates a five- to six-year lag in learning competencies in the country.
“We have to bring up the test scores, we all know that. So you need an educator who understands how to help the students,” Mr. Marcos said.
“That requires 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 make the task of the DepEd Secretary hard,” he added.