Sara Duterte may have 'a very difficult time' at DepEd, analyst says
MANILA, Philippines — Vice president-elect Sara Duterte may have a challenging time heading the Department of Education (DepEd) because she will have to address the education crisis and deal with bureaucracy at the largest government department in the Philippines, an analyst said.
Duterte, the mayor of Davao City, is expected to be appointed education chief, replacing DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones.
"I think she will really have a very difficult time because we are currently in the midst of an education crisis. Aside from the enduring problem and the backlogs in the facilities in public schools, we also have a learning problem," political scientist Cleve Arguelles, who teaches at De La Salle University, said in an interview with "The Chiefs" on Tuesday evening.
He explained that Duterte will also have to face the problem of students performing poorly in math, science and reading comprehension.
A World Bank report released last year showed that Filipino students ranked low in the multilateral bank's learning assessments related to math, science and reading, noting that the problem is accompanied by bullying and health issues such as malnutrition.
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For Arguelles, handling a large department such as the DepEd is a "different ball game" compared to being chief executive of Davao City.
"The DepEd is also really a huge bureaucracy and she will be the leapfrogging from the position of Davao City Mayor...She will be running a really huge department with 100% visible presence in all parts of the Philippines so I think that will be a test of her leadership," he said.
Briones, in a report to the Commission on Appointments in 2017, called the DepEd "the biggest bureaucracy in the Philippine government." At the time, the department had 763, 538 authorized plantilla positions, with 674, 613 being teaching positions.
Her former spokesperson Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Frasco said last month that Duterte is qualified to lead the department, citing her "vast executive experience and keen knowledge of the challenges faced by schools, students, and parents, having been Chairperson of the Local School Board for many years".
"Beyond theoretical ideas of managing the education sector...VP-elect Sara will certainly bring to the DepEd actual performance and solution-oriented leadership necessary to uplift the quality of education in our country," Frasco added.
The DepEd historically gets the highest budget from Congress.
Briones welcomed Duterte's announcement as the new DepEd chief on May 11, two days after the 2022 polls, and said she is confident that "DepEd will be in able hands and anticipate a continuity."
Briones separately said in a statement issued this week they are eager to help the incoming vice president in the transition, which will include the turn over of priority education programs and policies, such as the Basic Education Development Plan 2030— the country's first long-term basic education plan.
The Education department expects all schools to conduct of face-to-face classes next school year, which is set to begin in late-August. Over 32,700 public schools and 1,063 private schools already started in-person classes, as of figures shared last week.
The education industry was disrupted during the onset of the pandemic, which forced teachers and students to shift to remote learning due to health protocols. The abrupt shift to distance learning was wrought with challenges, including spotty internet and the lack of funds for gadgets.
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