DepEd-7 calls for child-friendly schools amid rising bullying cases

CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Education Central Visayas (DepEd-7) director hopes that the schools in the region are all “child-friendly.”

This is to address the bullying cases that still occur despite the department’s efforts in advocating the anti-bullying campaign, said DepEd-7 Director Salustiano Jimenez.

Although he did not specify the numbers, Jimenez said that the regional office has received “so many” reports of bullying cases already.

Usually, Jimenez said, the teachers were the ones who report about the incident to the regional office, and the assigned lawyer from the regional office would then handle the case or situation.

He assured that those reports were catered and managed.

“Because of that, our legal division, nag conduct gyud na og mga advocacies, orientations, althroughout Central Visayas to make sure that ang kaning mga divisions sa schools ma tagaan og igong kahibalo unsaon pag handle sa mga bullying,” Jimenez said.

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He added that they also made the teachers aware on how to handle situations involving bullying.

This is why he said that “every school shall be a child-friendly school and at the same time, school free from bullying” to make Region 7 less to no cases of bullying.

Jimenez also called on all the parents in the region that whenever they notice a sudden change in their children’s behavior or acts that would relate to bullying, they must not be afraid to report it to DepEd’s division and regional offices.

He said that this is not to sensationalize the situation but this is for the authorities to resolve the matter to avoid it happening again.

“Ug sa atong mga kabataan, og naay higayon nga mura mog gi-harass, or feeling ninyo nga gi-bully mo, please don’t hesitate to report to the school, to your teacher, adviser, guidance counselor, and from there kami nay mangitag paagi unsaon pag address nga dili na siya mahitabo ug dili maabot to the extent nga naa nay mental issues,” Jimenez added.

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Last December 11, celebrity mom Yasmien Kurdi took to social media how her daughter Ayesha was allegedly bullied by her classmates.

This also prompted her to meet with the Education Secretary Sonny Angara to discuss the possible solutions to bullying. Angara was also one of the authors of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.

The researchers from the De La Salle University and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom 2) cited in a basic education meeting last June the findings of the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The PISA 2022 report found out that one in three Filipino students experiences bullying at school with 43 percent of girls and 53 percent of boys facing bullying incidents several times a month. — with reports from Inquirer.net

/clorenciana