MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued marching orders to Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, the incoming secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
According to Angara, the Chief Executive asked him to help improve the country’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and to change the approach in teaching history.
“May binanggit siya about History. ‘Yung hindi ba naka-focus masyado lang sa memorization pero kundi sa pag-uunawa o pag-iintindi sa mga nangyari talaga kung bakit nangyari yun. ‘Yung making history interesting for our young people,” said Angara.
Angara also said he is now coordinating with outgoing DepEd secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, and said he would continue the streamlining of the curriculum.
“We’ll continue whatever review was started by my predecessor. Pero may batas kasi ‘yan. At the end of the day, ang masusunod dyan ay ang Congress,” Angara said.
“So we’ll, kung ano ang policy direction as the highest policy-setting body, we’ll have to follow whatever the law dictates,” added the outgoing senator.
Angara is one of the legislators behind the enhanced basic education or K-12 program, which is currently under review by DepEd.
Angara also said he does not plan to ask for confidential funds since Duterte-Carpio did not ask for it during the last two years.
“Well, I think hindi na humingi si Vice President for the last two years ng confidential funds so I don’t think it will be necessary,” Angara said.
“But of course, we support any pending measures like we supported yung increase in the teaching allowance. Isa tayo sa mga authors nun. So anything that will help improve the compensation and the benefits of our teachers, 100% supportive tayo,” he added./PN
