SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday said the next Education Secretary should be a perfect replacement to help address the massive challenges in the education sector.

The senator made the comment when asked by reporters about Vice President Sara Duterte’s resignation as head of the Department of Education.

“I do not know at all the reason, what is going on the political side, but what I do know is napakalaki ng challenges natin sa education sector,” Cayetano said.

“We have to pick the perfect replacement and we have to spend more money and wisely dito sa DepEd,” he added.

Last year during DepEd’s 2024 budget deliberations, Cayetano sounded the alarm on the crisis facing education.

He urged the government to urgently fix it, otherwise the country will be in trouble in the next 15 years.

Cayetano, who is now serving as the chair of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, also expressed optimism that the vacancy would not disrupt the DepEd’s preparations for the upcoming opening of the school year.

“I hope any politics that is happening will not affect the opening of the school year. We have very professional people in the DepEd,” he said.