Just before the Holy Week, reports on student violence in public schools were played up in the media. Is this an indication of deeper moral crisis in society and disintegration of family values?
The first incident last March 26 was about the fatal stabbing with a kitchen knife of a Grade 8 student in Paranaque after an argument with his classmate. The second on April 11, again about the fatal stabbing of two Grade 8 students in Las Pinas by their three fellow learners outside their school.
This made Senator Sherwin Gatchalian of the panel on basic education to declare on April 13 “beyond alarming” such school violence and a “clear sign of crisis” that calls for the active involvement of parents/guardians and fostering harmony in families to correct, if not eliminate, such incidents.
PARENT EFFECTIVENESS
Gatchalian also pushed hard for the restoration of GMRC (good manners and right conduct) to inculcate the correct Christian values among the youth, if only to ensure that future generations would not carry on this culture of violence.
“When violence becomes the language of our youth, we must confront the hard truth: we are failing in our duty to raise a generation grounded in discipline and respect. If the youth are already like this, we should be worried about the future we’re shaping.
The senator stressed the need to bring the perpetrators to justice, and for LGUs to be “mobilized now to implement the Parent Effectiveness Service Program.”
“We cannot wait for more student deaths before we implement the interventions available to us, including the GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct) and Values Education Act,” Gatchalian added.
‘When violence becomes the language of our youth, we must confront the hard truth: we are failing in our duty to raise a generation grounded in discipline and respect.’
PARTNERS: HOME & SCHOOL
Of late, the the Departments of Education (DepEd) and Social Welfare and Development are jointly mapping out a program to equip parents with more knowledge in child development, said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara. The program is part of efforts against bullying in response to Gatchalian’s call to implement PES.
Both agencies are working closely to pilot a school-based PES program in “high-need areas, particularly those with elevated cases of bullying, teenage pregnancy, and malnutrition,” Angara said.
“Programs are set up to equip parents with the knowledge and tools to guide their children, uphold their rights and foster positive, nurturing relationships both at home and in school,” Angara added.
The PES is provided under RA 11908 seeking to expand the knowledge and skills of parents and guardians in child development. It lapsed into law in July 2022. Its implementing rules and regulations were finalized in June 2023.
EMPOWERED
“Empowered parents are our first line of defense in protecting children’s rights and well-being,” he added.
“Parents and parent-substitutes will be equipped with lessons that will enrich their understanding of themselves as parents and guardians,” explained DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
“They will be able to respond more effectively to their parental duties and responsibilities, especially in the areas of early childhood development, behavior management of younger and older children, husband-wife relationships, prevention of child abuse, healthcare, and other challenges of parenting,” he added.
The PES program will be carried out in cities and municipalities through local government units and DSWD offices. Home visits, modular training packages, and distance PES initiatives may also be done so the program can reach more parents and guardians.
HIGHEST INCIDENCE
The EDCOM 2 Subcommittee meeting on Basic Education last June 13, 2024 came out with a report on the series of studies entitled “Understanding Bullying in Philippine Education: Impacts and Opportunities for Change.”
One of the most striking findings in the Program from International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 results was that the Philippines had the highest percentage (65 percent) of bullying among all participating countries and territories (OECD, 2019).
This trend was replicated in the PISA 2022 assessment although the percentage was lower in this round of assessment (OECD, 2023),” says Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo, DLSU professor.
Of the 65 percent, 40 percent said they were bullied at least once weekly or more. The PISA 2022 report noted that one in three Filipino students are being bullied in schools. Of this, 43 percent were girls and 53 percent were who were bullied multiple times a month. This is much higher than the OECD average of 20 percent of girls, and 21 percent of boys.
“International large-scale assessments show us an alarmingly high prevalence of bullying in our schools, which threatens the safety and well-being of our learners. Since we are also looking at the possibility that actual bullying incidents are underreported, we need to ensure that DepEd has strong reporting mechanisms so we can fully capture what is happening on the ground,” said then EDCOM 2 co-chair Gatchalian.
ANTI-BULLYING LAW
However, DepEd data showed that from 2013 (the year the Anti Bullying Law was passed) to 2018, the number of reported bullying cases surged from 1,158 to 20,172.
EDCOM 2 co-chair Rep. Roman Romulo remarked, “the law was passed in 2013. From then, until last year, why was DepEd unable to identify the incidents properly. Why did it take this long [to implement the law]?”
But DepEd insisted that child protection committees (CPCs) were functional in schools and it was only recently when they formulated a functionality tool to assess the level of operationalization of the CPC’s responsibilities.
Dr. Bernardo, presenting an overview of the studies, noted that tackling bullying calls for school-wide anti-bullying approaches. “Bullying is not just one thing. We need to look at it as sustaining and supporting the whole school environment” ranging from education and prevention to handling impacts of bullying for victims, perpetrators, and witnesses.
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERN
One finding said bullying is more prevalent in public schools with large class sizes, discriminatory teacher behavior and lower levels of competition and discipline. Bullying is also higher among students coming from lower socioeconomic environments.
Those bullied often have mental health concerns like depression and anxiety, experience both traditional physical bullying and relational cyberbullying; psychosocial issues and the learner’s environment such as school safety, relationships with their parents, and their prevailing attitudes towards bullying.
The DLSU studies recommended amendments to the IRR of RA 10627, strengthening the provisions related to CPC, improving systems for reporting bullying cases, and clarifying DepEd’s structures and systems related to bullying.