VARIOUS youth and student organizations opposed the appointment of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio as secretary of the Department of Education.

The groups composed of the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan, Take Up Space Movement, SAVE Philippines – Stewards and Volunteers for the Earth Philippines, Kabataan Para Kay Ka Leody, SPARK PLM, NU College of Education Arts and Sciences Student Council, ADNU Media Studies Society, Bukluran Student Alliance, SPARK University of Santo Tomas,PLM CRAdLe, UE College of Education Student Council, CHSS Student Council of UP Mindanao, PLM SAVE- Students’ Alliance of Volunteers for the Environment, The Pre-Medical Civic Society, SPARK – Katipunan, DEFLL Book Lovers Club, PUPSJ Student Assembly, UE Manila – University Student Council, Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila and UPLB Society of Electrical Engineering Students said Duterte-Carpio is “not qualified for the post.”

They said that the DepEd chief must be an “educator or education expert.”

*After facing debacle after debacle at the height of the global pandemic, we believe that the DepEd post demands the most qualified individual to lead the department out of a national education crisis and not someone whose interest is built upon to favor the Marcoses and their allies,” the groups said in a statement.

Education secretaries, they added, should be familiar and experienced with the major issues and concerns of education stakeholders.

“Marcos’ Vice President clearly does not have this. Sara Duterte has no proper background, has a skewed moral compass, and possesses a vision of education that can only be described as indoctrination. It is a threat to the future of the country to be governed in this way, and by such an individual,” the groups said.

They also opposed the inclusion of mandatory military service in the school curriculum.

“Sara Duterte is also a wild-eyed advocate for forced military service for all Filipinos at least 18 years of age. Mandatory military service was dismantled following the death of a UST student that exposed the abuse of ROTC officers. Nation-building for Vice President Duterte means nothing less than perpetuating systemic abuse and corruption in our schools,” the groups said.

“Maleducation is the only thing that Sara can offer. A Marcos-Duterte administration will repress critical thinking and academic freedoms. Mandating ROTC would promote a militarist mindset, bullying between officers and subordinates, rampant corruption, and enable sexism among many other concerns in our campuses,” they added.