Metro Manila, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named Sen. Sonny Angara as the new education secretary, replacing Vice President Sara Duterte.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Tuesday the president made the announcement during a Cabinet meeting.
“Sonny has agreed to take on the brief of the Department of Education,” Marcos was quoted as saying in a press release. The president earlier said appointing an education secretary was ‘harder’ than he thought.
Angara’s portfolio
Angara has been a member of Congress for over two decades – as a senator since 2013 and previous to that the lone representative of Aurora province for nearly a decade.
Angara was a key figure in the passage of the Universal Access to Tertiary Quality Education law and the Basic Education Act, which established the K-12 curriculum.
He is also a commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, a body tasked to assess the education sector.
In a statement, Angara thanked Marcos for his trust to lead the education department.
“I am committed to working with all sectors of society, including my predecessor, Vice President Sara Duterte, to ensure that every Filipino child has access to quality education. I look forward to building upon her accomplishments,” the incoming DepEd chief said.
The agency also welcomed the senator’s appointment.
“The DepEd community looks forward to working with the new leadership as we continue our relentless pursuit towards improving the quality of basic education in the country,” it said in a statement.
Duterte’s resignation takes effect on July 19.
New chief, new challenges
As the incoming education chief, Angara faces pressing challenges, foremost of which is the so-called education crisis.
Based on the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) released in June, the Philippines was at the bottom two of the creative thinking test for 15-year-old students. The country also scored poorly in mathematics, science, and reading comprehension.
Education groups hope this could be addressed with the change in leadership.
“While it is good that a new DepEd secretary has been named, we challenge Sen. Sonny Angara to hit the ground running and immediately address the education crisis in our country as well as the long-standing demands of teachers and education support personnel,” ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro was quoted as saying in a statement.
Angara’s appointment comes as the agency prepares for the opening of classes on July 29. The incoming academic calendar will be shorter as it reverts to the previous June-March school year in 2025-2026.
The DepEd will also carry out the first phase of the MATATAG curriculum crafted under Duterte’s leadership.
In an interview ahead of his appointment, Angara laid out reforms needed in the education sector.
“Kailangan iyong mga reporma edukasyon tulad ng kalidad ng edukasyon. Tapos iyong tinatawag na pagkukulang sa mga classroom o resource gaps. Sa silid aralan, textbooks. Kailangan bigyan ng lunas iyan,” said Angara.
[Translation: We need educational reforms like providing quality education. Also, resource gaps such as classroom shortage and textbooks. We need to address these problems.]
