Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Tuesday said the Department of Education would monitor the compliance of schools when it comes to implementing their anti-bullying policy.
”Each school is required to have an anti-bullying policy pero hindi sinasabi ng batas kung how strict they have to be pero kailangan may [but they have to have a] policy. Ang problema [The problem is], on the ground, very few schools have their own anti-bullying policy so sa DepEd, we will really track or monitor the compliance dito sa batas na ‘to [to this law],” Angara said during a Palace press briefing.
According to Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) executive director Karol Mark Yee, there was a study indicating that Filipinos are the loneliest students in the world.
Yee said President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants concerned agencies to look into the matter.
”’Yung data pa nga natin is not just bullying. Nabanggit ni Presidente may nabasa siyang article na may Singapore study that says that the loneliest students in the world are Filipinos. That is also in the PISA data, the Filipino students feel that they don’t belong,” Yee said.
[Our data is not just on bullying. The President also mentioned that he read an article that there’s a study from Singapore saying that the loneliest students in the world are Filipinos.]
Lack of guidance counselors
Angara also mentioned that the country lacks at least 5,000 guidance counselors. He explained that the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Civil Service Commission would work and enforce a temporary solution to address the matter.
”’Yung kakulangan ng guidance counselors, halos 5,000 ‘yung bakanteng posisyon. Tulad ng sinabi niya kanina para maging isang guidance counselor, nasa batas kailangan magkamaster’s degree ka doon sa pagiging guidance counselor. Number one, ‘yun ang naging problema,” Angara said.
(The country lacks almost 5,000 guidance counselors. Under the law, one must have a master’s degree to be a guidance counselor. That’s the problem.)
”Sana punan muna ‘yung 5,000 bakanteng posisyon ng mga kahit graduates ng guidance counseling at psychology or whatever specialization pero di na kailangan ‘yung master’s degree. Bigyan sila ng palugit o limang taon para makuha nila ‘yung necessary credentials,” he added.
(I hope they will fill up the 5,000 vacancies with guidance counseling and psychology graduates. They should be given five years to get the necessary credentials.)
Angara also said the President wants other faculty members to be involved to address the lack of guidance counselors.
”Kahit marami tayong bakanteng guidance counselors, dapat sinasalo pa rin ng ibang member ng faculty,” the DepEd chief said.
(Even if we have a lot of vacancies, other members of the faculty should be involved.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Be the first to comment