Be The Good: What should the incoming DepEd secretary prioritize?

The Rappler community is abuzz with the news of the selection of senator Sonny Angara as new education secretary. Education is a big deal for our community of student groups, youth leaders, educators, media and information literacy experts, and education reform advocates. Angara brings a fresh face, new energy, and, most importantly, a clean slate for the Department of Education (DepEd). With his appointment, the department sheds some of the baggage it had accumulated under Vice President Sara Duterte – the red-tagging, the politicization, and polarization. But nobody envies Angara for the gargantuan task ahead of him. The DepEd's problems are larger than life: the 159,000 classroom deficit, the dismal performance of Filipino students in global learning assessments, teachers bogged down by administrative work, the confusing school calendar changes, and so much more. The pressure on Angara is backbreaking, but, with his experience in crafting education reform legislation, his years as an EDCOM 2 commissioner, he knows what he is getting into. We asked our community what their wishlist for Angara would be. You can weigh in as well by joining the conversation in the #education channel on our Rappler Communities app. We'll be collating responses throughout the week, then sending them to the senator. Rappler app user @jogarsdb wishes that Angara will "strengthen Technical-Vocation Education Training (TVET) Centers that will create skillful and competent Filipino workers." Nash Laroya suggests integrating the topic of the West Philippine Sea in the basic education curriculum. "The Philippines will need a grounded and informed youth that would last the course of this generational dispute," they say in the #education channel. It's not too late to share your wishlist for the incoming DepEd chief in the #education channel! You can find the chat room in the "Communities" tab on the Rappler Communities app. Here's how you can download the app: iOS Android Website or desktop What's cooking? MovePH head Samantha Bagayas and I recently met with Office of Civil Defense administrator Ariel Nepomuceno for upcoming collaborations on disaster resilience and disaster preparedness. We'll keep you updated! ICYMI If you haven't yet, we hope you can be part of our "Listening Project." This project aims to gather insights from you, our community, about how we can improve our delivery of news. We want to know what you think of our journalism, our brand, and our news products. All you have to do is scan this QR code to answer our online survey. We truly value your take. Your suggestions will help Rappler better adapt to changing news consuming behavior, and will ultimately help us survive as a newsroom. Be The Good is a newsletter that comes out every other Wednesday. We deliver updates straight to your inbox on how journalism and communities can work together for impact. To subscribe, follow the #FactsFirstPH movement or visit rappler.com/profile and click the 'Newsletters' tab. Create a Rappler account that helps you manage your newsletter subscriptions. Rappler Inc. · Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines This email was sent to edwardlorilla1999.tower@blogger.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. Created with NationBuilder, software for leaders.