President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., June 3, 2024. Yummie Dingding, PPA Pool/File  

MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr could mention something in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that would benefit the education sector, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Monday. 

"Nag-submit kami ng possible issues for the President's speech na pwede isama. Ako naman may sasabihan siya, hindi ko lang alam kung ano exactly, but I think may sasabihin siya na matutuwa ang sektor ng edukasyon," Angara told reporters after he led a flag-raising ceremony. 

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In his speech before Department of Education employees, Angara noted the two marching orders he received from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s included ensuring the welfare of teachers and improving the quality of education. 

He said his team was finalizing "some things for the President's action on PISA" or the Programme for International Student Assessment. 

In 2022, PISA results showed that Filipino students lagged in math, science, reading and creative thinking compared to students from other countries. 

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"Sabi nya itaas natin ang antas ng ating edukasyon, let’s improve the quality of our education. Sabi ng Presidente dahil nakikita nya sa mga achievement test, sa mga international test medyo nangungulelat po ang ating bansa at well quite frankly it has become an embarrassment for us, it has become a national embarrassment," Angara said. 

"So wala akong sinisisi dito, sinasabi ko lang na kung gusto nating resolbahin ito kailangang magsama-sama tayo. And we must put our best thoughts, our best intentions, and our best actions together to achieve the best results," he added. 

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