Sonny Angara and the quality of our education

In a gesture of humility, on his appointment as the Department of Education's new secretary, Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said, "I eagerly look forward to building on the gains made during her stint at the department."

The "her" here refers to Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio, who resigned as education secretary without giving any reason. Many speculate that it's because her stay in the Cabinet is no longer tenable in the face of political developments, and the conflict between the administration and former president Rody Duterte can no longer be hidden.

“I eagerly look forward to building the gains made during her stint at the department." What classic diplomacy! It is the mark of the Angaras. The truth is that VP Sara has made significant accomplishments or gains during her short stay as secretary --accomplishments that are pro-teachers and pro-learners. Sara can easily persuade, especially because she is well-loved.

Inevitably, there are those who question her performance in line with the poor performance results of Filipino students in global learning assessments.

Now, let's go back to Sen. Sonny Angara. His appointment has been well-received by many sectors, particularly the education sector. He is the choice of groups such as the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations, the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Philippine Business for Education.

Indeed, Sonny is no stranger to the cause of education.

Citing the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the legislator has the following accomplishments: authorship of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act No. 10931), which mandated free tuition in state and local universities and colleges; the Enhanced Basic Education Act (RA 10533), which mandated the K-to-12 curriculum; the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo (Teaching Supplies) Act (RA 11997); the Open Distance Learning Act (RA 10650); the Universal Kindergarten Act (RA 10157); and the Anti-Bullying Act (RA 10627).

The cause of education is running through his veins. And I don’t wonder because his father, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, championed the cause of education throughout his entire career as a politician, and he passed into law so many legislative measures to improve the quality of our educational system. To some, he was the president we never had.

Our educational system has sunk too low for too long, and there is no sign we can get out of the abyss soon. But we must rescue ourselves, or our collective decay will become irreversible.

“For the second straight assessment, the Philippines landed in the bottom 10 out of 81 countries in reading comprehension, mathematics, and science and showed minimal improvement, results of the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test revealed,” Philstar reported on December 6, 2023.

“The Philippines has landed in the bottom four of a global test for creative thinking, ranking student performance in the country as one of the worst in the world, according to results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)’s newly launched benchmarking test for creativity,” Philstar again reported on June 20, 2024.

Despite the list of unfavorable facts seeming endless, there is hope on the horizon. With Angara leading the department, there is a real potential for substantial improvements.