The Leader in Me

                                                      The Leader in Me

By Dennis B. Lacsam

According to my research, the right of every Filipino youth to free education is upheld under the Philippine Constitution of 1987. However, the nation's system of education continues to be hampered by high dropout rates and mediocre performance on national and international achievement tests.

The same fundamental challenges that have affected Philippine education since colonial times now exist. Poor student performance, meager teacher quality in a system where teachers are at the focus of the learning system, outdated learning materials, excessive centralization, and insufficient financial resources are just a few of these.

If I will be given a chance to become one of the heads of any branch of government office, for sure, I will choose to become the Secretary of the Department of Education because I want to make a solution to the prevalent problems in the education sector which I mentioned above.

As the department's chief, I will make sure to uphold and be honest about my vision for the educational system: one that supports cultural diversity, is free of prejudice, provides a secure environment and upholds human rights, and develops qualities, abilities, and aptitude among others.

And since my major duty is to exercise control over the entire department, I will advise the President on pertinent matters related to education by promulgating rules and regulations necessary to carry out the objectives, policies, functions, plans, programs, and projects of the Department. Likewise, I will exercise disciplinary powers over officials and employees in accordance with existing laws by formulating and enforcing a management control system to measure and evaluate performance.

      With all these in mind, I know I will become an effective leader, and all the education stakeholders will be benefited from my goals and leadership styles. This I accept as true is the most important contemplation a leader should consider for education is something that no one can ever take away from a person – a gift that provides him/her stability, security, equality, and protection for him/her to be a useful part of society, and a contributing member as well.