Fixed term for DepEd secretary pushed

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday pushed for a fixed term for the secretary of education to insulate the department from politics and maintain continuity in its programs. “We must ensure that the education of our youth is not tied to the fortunes of the appointing power or the politics of the day,” he said.

“We can insulate the Department of Education (DepEd) from the president’s power to reorganize government by simply providing that its secretary not be co-terminus with the appointing power. We can ensure a fixed term in law for him,” Escudero said in a statement.

Escudero favors the decentralization of the DepEd so appropriate policies are crafted and problems immediately acted on at the regional level.

He said the next president should also form a commission to develop a master plan that will set benchmarks and timetables to bring the country’s level of education at par with the best in the region.

“The Commission can map out a painless transition from the current 10-year basic education cycle to 12 years,” Escudero said.

Speaking at an education forum, he reiterated his proposal for government to increase the education budget from 12 percent to the Southeast Asian standard of 20 percent.