A video posted on social media final week has as soon as extra introduced consideration to bullying in faculties, which stays prevalent within the Philippines regardless of a legislation stopping it. The disturbing video that has gone viral has additionally raised considerations over the tradition of bullying being normalized and whether or not punishment in opposition to bullies is enough contemplating the trauma that such acts go away on the victims.
This current case involving Grade 10 college students in Pasig confirmed the sufferer being slapped and threatened by a schoolmate whereas different boys—stories mentioned there have been 11 of them—watched. The sufferer’s mom mentioned he was too traumatized that he refused to depart their home and go to high school. The varsity has sanctioned the bullies to 3 days of neighborhood service, which the sufferer’s household discovered too lenient. They’ve filed a grievance for bodily accidents and violation of Republic Act No. 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 in opposition to the perpetrators.
RA 10627 offers mechanisms to report bullying and directs elementary and secondary faculties to undertake anti-bullying insurance policies. Apart from disciplinary sanctions, the legislation additionally requires bullies—and fogeys—to endure a rehabilitation program. Faculties are additionally mandated to submit annual stories to the Division of Schooling (DepEd) and Congress.
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Lack of know-how
Nevertheless, a research by the Second Congressional Fee on Schooling (Edcom II) printed final June discovered that there’s a lack of understanding about legal guidelines that shield the rights of kids and college students. The Edcom II report, “Understanding Bullying in Philippine Schooling: Impacts and Alternatives for Change,” mentioned interpretations of those legal guidelines, together with RA 10627 and RA 11036 or the Psychological Well being Act, have been largely left to the colleges. The shortage of a standardized mechanism, it mentioned, has resulted in some bullying incidents being unreported or dismissed as a result of lack of proof.
This might clarify the discrepancy between information coming from DepEd and worldwide our bodies such because the Programme for Worldwide Pupil Evaluation (Pisa). Pisa 2018 findings confirmed that 65 % of Filipino college students had been victims of bullying, the very best amongst all collaborating international locations and territories. Whereas the Pisa 2022 evaluation confirmed a decrease determine, with one out of three college students being bullied, it nonetheless indicated that bullying remained prevalent in faculties. The outcomes additionally mentioned that boys (53 %) encountered bullying greater than women (43 %). The sorts of bullying ranged from bodily abuse to being threatened or subjected to jokes or nasty rumors.
Excellent alternative
DepEd figures, then again, reported a surge in bullying instances, from 1,158 in 2013—the 12 months RA 10627 was handed—to twenty,172 in 2018. However DepEd mentioned these information collated from the annual stories submitted to division places of work “stay unverified.” This has prompted Edcom II co-chair and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo to ask: “The legislation was handed in 2013. From then, till [2023], bakit hindi na-identify [‘yung reporting issues?]. Maliwanag naman ‘yung batas. DepEd knew the tasks that they’d.”
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The current change in management on the DepEd—Sen. Sonny Angara was appointed secretary in July or a month after the Edcom II research got here out—is an ideal alternative for the division to evaluate faculties’ compliance with the anti-bullying legislation and reassess how insurance policies might be strengthened. DepEd has launched at the least two memos, one in 2014 and one other in 2017, that reminded faculties to submit annual stories on bullying instances. However because the Edcom II research famous, “these memos don’t comprise any clause on sanctions for faculties which are unable to conform.”
Faculties mustn’t ignore or sweep underneath the rug the incidence of bullying on their premises or involving their college students. Social media has change into a platform for exposing these incidents, particularly within the absence of braveness on the victims’ half to report them to authorities however this needn’t be the case if faculties have created an setting that makes victims really feel protected to report the harassment.
Parallel investigation
The motion of the Pasig native authorities to conduct a parallel investigation in coordination with DepEd, notably the Faculties Division Workplace of Pasig that has jurisdiction, may also function a reference for dealing with bullying instances. DepEd also needs to take into account the long-standing attraction to coach devoted personnel higher outfitted to deal with bullying and psychological health-related instances as a substitute of faculties assigning the duty to instructing personnel with no acceptable coaching simply to allow them to adjust to the legislation.
Apart from their houses, college students spend a whole lot of time at school and it’s crucial that they study and co-exist in an setting that nurtures them not solely academically but in addition emotionally and psychologically. This implies an setting that places equal significance on IQ and EQ and produces well-adjusted and accountable members of society who will stand in opposition to bullying and never normalize it.
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