In celebration of the National Children’s Month (NCM) this October,
Education Secretary Armin Luistro has reminded all public and private
schools nationwide to strengthen children’s awareness of their rights,
particularly against violence inside and outside the school premises.
Luistro made the call after an incident in Bantayan Island, Cebu
earlier this month in which a nine-year-old grade three pupil of Vito
Elementary School died after he was allegedly punched by a 10-year-old
student.
He underscored that schools must “continue strengthen” the existing
Child Protection Policy (CPP) of the DepEd and the Republic Act No.
10627 or the Anti-Bullying of Act 2013.
“The objective of the CPP is to promote zero-tolerance policy for any
act of child exploitation, violence, discrimination, and other forms of
abuse,” Luistro said.
DepEd’s CPP puts primary importance on the well-being of children and
continues to push for the development of safe and nurturing
learner-centered institutions.
“It’s hard if there’s one incident and we are reactionary,” said
Luistro, pertaining to the course of action DepEd implements in
violence-related incidents involving students. “For us, we try to
monitor what happens in our schools but we cannot make a policy if there
are one or two incidents that occur,” he added.
Luistro maintained that the “long-term and sustainable solution” to
child-related violence such as bullying, punishment and harassment among
others – particularly in schools – is the DepEd’s CPP.
“It is not ideal to make a policy specific to one incident,” he
stressed. “What we need is cooperation among stakeholders not only in
our schools but also the local community, barangay, parents-teachers’
association (PTA) and parents who guide their children in their
respective homes as well,” he added.
In line with this, Luistro said that schools must also initiate
activities that “highlight the role of children in community life and
nation-building.”
All public and private schools officials were urged to conduct school
activities that underscore the important role of children in their
respective communities and for the country during month-long celebration
of NCM.
Luistro, in DepEd Memo No. 113, reiterated the continued commitment
of the Department of Education (DepEd) to promote children’s welfare and
development.
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the NCM celebration pursuant
to Presidential Proclamation No. 267 series of 1993 “Declaring the Month
of October Every Year as the National Children’s Month” in partnership
with Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and other government
agencies.
