ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Tuesday welcomed the appointment of Senator Juan Edgardo Angara as the new Secretary of the Department of Education while challenging him to immediately address the pressing issues in the country’s education sector.

“While it is good that a new DepEd Secretary has been named, we challenge Sen. Sonny Angara to hit the ground running and immediately address the education crisis in our country as well as the long-standing demands of teachers and education support personnel,” Castro stated.

The solon emphasized the urgent need for the incoming DepEd chief to tackle the challenges head-on, particularly the controversial K to 12 program.

“We urge the new secretary to face the challenges and problems of the K-12 program head-on and overhaul the system. The program has been fraught with issues since its implementation, and it’s high time for a comprehensive review and necessary reforms,” Castro asserted.

Castro also highlighted the importance of addressing the welfare of education workers.

“Sen. Angara must prioritize the improvement of working conditions, salaries, and benefits of our teachers and education support personnel. These front liners in education have long been calling for just compensation and better support systems,” she added.

The ACT Teachers representative expressed hope that Angara’s experience as a commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education would inform his approach to the critical issues facing the education sector.

“We expect Secretary Angara to utilize his insights from EDCOM 2 to implement much-needed reforms in our education system. The crisis in education requires immediate and decisive action. We in ACT Teachers Party-list are ready to work with the new DepEd leadership for the benefit of our learners, teachers, and the entire education sector,” the solon stressed.