A group of public school teachers challenged President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to consult them and other stakeholders first before finally deciding on whom to appoint as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC), a 30,000-strong organization of teachers, said that the Education Department is a very special sector, thus, it needs a very special leader. “We would appreciate it if there would be consultations with the teachers since it is the teachers who know the problems on the ground on a daily basis,” said TDC chairperson Benjo Basas.

In the government, DepEd has the largest bureaucracy – with almost 600,000 teachers and non-teaching personnel. It also caters to the needs of almost 25 million students as its clientele and would be responsible for almost P200 billion in the annual budget.

Basas said that among the major considerations in choosing the new Education chief – aside from competence and specialization in the field – is the skill to unify the members of a very large sector. “It needs a good manager, a leader, and a teacher,” Basas said.

However, TDC said that the new DepEd Ssecretary doesn’t have to be a classroom teacher. “What we need is somebody who is dedicated in making changes in the education system and somebody who has the heart for the teachers,” Basas explained.

He also added that the Education Department needs a leader who will understand what the teachers, especially in public education system, go through and has the ability to boost the morale of its members. “He or she should be able to inspire us and the entire system to make us feel more empowered in facing the responsibilities of a teacher,” he said.

TDC expressed that the new DepEd Secretary should also make the delivery of quality education nationwide as well as meeting the Education For All (EFA) goals by 2015 as his or her top priority.

Basas added that the secretary should be a “people person because he or she will also be approached by many.” He or she should also be easy to speak with and be able “to listen to the problems encountered by teachers and other education stakeholders.”

Reports say that among the choices for DepEd Secretary to replace outgoing Education Secretary Mona Valisno include former Batanes Representative and DepEd Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, who resigned from the DepEd in 2005 along with other Cabinet secretaries who composed the “Hyatt 10” and Bro. Armin Luistro, president of the De La Salle University.

In an earlier interview, Valisno refused to recommend anybody to replace her when she steps down by the end of the month. “It is not proper for me to mention any name or to recommend anybody because I don’t want to cloud the decision-making of the incoming President,” she said.

Valisno believes that President-elect Aquino has his set of qualifications and that should be respected at all costs. “I believe he knows who will be the best for the position and I’m sure, he has a list of very suitable and competent candidates,” she said.

TDC said that majority of their teacher-members have a high regard for Jesli Lapus who was transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry for making reforms in the Education Department and also for Valisno who continued the projects that benefit the teachers and the entire system.

Despite the clamor for consultations and social dialogues, Basas said they will support and respect the decision of the President. “Whoever will be chosen for the position, we will give the new DepEd secretary a chance to prove him or herself in improving our education system,” he ended.