ADDRESS DEPED WOES IMMEDIATELY--ANGARA

In yesterday's Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing to discuss the appointment of Fr. Armin Luistro as the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), Senator Edgardo J. Angara mentioned four major areas of concern that should be addressed immediately.

"First of all, how do we finance the basic education of the Filipino children? The most pressing problem right now in our educational system is the shortage of teachers, of classrooms, chairs, and textbooks. How do you plan to manage this, and in what time frame?" asked Angara.

Angara, who heads the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, says that he also wants to clarify the relations of the church and the government. He mentioned the objection of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago to the appointment of Fr. Luistro because of his loyalties to his church.

"Now, more than ever, we need to uphold the separation of the church and the state. I have confidence in Fr. Luistro's abilities, but he must be able to handle issues such as sex education and the RH Bill with objectivity," he stressed.

According to Angara, the DepEd should also address the rapidly growing number of out of school youths in the country. He says that almost two-thirds of the formal education population-about 16 out of 20 million Filipinos are not able to study.

Lastly, Angara offered a possible solution to most of the major problems in the Philippine educational system-the use of educational technology in the teaching and learning process. "Perhaps we could make up for the lack of traditional learning materials through 'smart schools' and 'smart classrooms'. Educational services can be delivered electronically, which could be more effective and cost-efficient," he explained.

These four issues were left to Fr. Luistro to be answered in the next CA hearing on November 23.