Marcos instructs Angara: Improve history teaching, global ranking in education

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued his marching orders to Senator Sonny Angara as new secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

According to Mariz Umali’s “24 Oras” report Tuesday, Angara said Marcos Jr. 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. 

(He mentioned something about history. How it was focused on memorization and not making them understand. He asked us to make history interesting for our young people.)

In a Facebook post, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) earlier said Marcos  is "set to appoint" Angara to the post, replacing Vice President Sara Duterte who resigned from DepEd on June 19, 2024.

Marcos made the announcement during the 17th Cabinet Meeting at the Palace on Tuesday morning.

Angara said his leadership would now focus on the opening of the school year. He is also coordinating with his predecessor and said he would continue the streamlining of the curriculum. 

“We'll continue whatever review was started. Pero may batas kasi yan. At the end of the day, ang masusunod dyan ay ang Congress. So we'll kung ano ang policy direction as the highest policy-setting body, we'll have to follow whatever the law dictates,” he added. 

(We'll continue whatever review was started. But there’s a law for that. At the end of the day, we will follow the Congress.)

Angara is one of the legislators behind enhanced basic education or K-12 program, which is currently under review by DepEd. 

“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,” the lawmaker said. 

( I think the Vice President did not ask for  confidential funds for the last two years so I don't think it will be necessary.)

“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. 

(But of course, we support any pending measures like we supported yung increase in the teaching allowance. Anything that will help improve the compensation and the benefits of our teachers, we are 100% supportive.)

As for the calls of private schools to increase tuition fees, Angara said: “May costs talaga diyan. Eh kung ako naman, however, the department can help our schools whether public or private. Kasi yan ang mandato natin sa ilalim ng Saligang Batas. There is complementarity and we're constitutionally mandated to support the schools irrespective of whether they are public or private”.

(There are costs for that. However, the department can help our schools whether public or private because that is under our mandate under the Constitution. There is complementarity and we're constitutionally mandated to support the schools irrespective of whether they are public or private.) — Sundy Locus/BAP, GMA Integrated News