THE Teachers’ Dignity Coalition on Wednesday said they anticipated the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte as Secretary of the Department of Education, given the country’s political climate.

“What we did not expect was for the resignation to happen today,” Benjo Basas, TDC Chairperson, said in a statement

TDC called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure that the next DepEd secretary appointed is not a politician or actively involved in partisan politics.

“This is to ensure that DepEd is spared from political bickering and being dragged into divisive political fighting. Aside from this, the next secretary should be an excellent manager since that person will be managing the largest bureaucracy in the country, with the most personnel, the most geographically dispersed, and the greatest resources,” Basas said.

“We also hope that the next secretary comes from the academe, or at the very least, has experience teaching in a public school. Someone who has lived through the daily experiences of teachers and students, grasps the situation on the ground, and whose heart is truly a teacher’s,” Basas added.

“We expect the president to consider the opinions and sentiments of teachers and the public education sector.”