Angara gears up for challenges as DepEd chief

Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara takes oath as the new education secretary before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos at the Palace on Friday, July 19. (Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office)

MANILA, Philippines – Education  Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Saturday that he feels some healthy pressure over his new assignment as Department of Education (DepEd) chief.

According to Angara, this pressure will motivate him to perform for the country.

“May konti, but it’s a good kind of pressure, the pressure that we must perform for our country and for our children,” Angara said in an ambush interview.

(There’s a little, but it’s a good kind of pressure, the pressure that we must perform for our country and for our children.)

Angara added that DepEd will look into the state of the teachers regarding their benefits and their workload.

“Aayusin namin ‘yong promotion system sa gobyerno, tingnan natin ‘yong mga benepisyo nila, ‘yong teaching load nila, minsan daming ginagawa, naapektuhan na ‘yong pagturo dahil andaming administrative na ginagawa eh,” he continued.

(We will fix the promotion system in  government, look at their benefits, their teaching load, sometimes they do a lot that their teaching is affected because of their administrative work.)

Focus on computer literacy

He added that DepEd will also focus on computer literacy so that students will perform better in exams.

‘Yong ibang exam nasa computer, first time makita ng bata ‘yong computer so minsan nagugulat siya, so ‘yon ang gusto nating i-practice, na masanay ang mga bata na kumukuha ng examen sa computer,” he added.

(Some exams are computerized, the student sees the computer for the first time so sometimes he or she is startled, and that is what we want to practice, that the student will be used to taking computerized exams.

Angara took his oath as the new DepEd chief on July 19. He succeeded Vice President Sara Duterte who resigned from the post on June 19.