The 24th of January is the 6th International Day of Education. With the alarming rise of campus crimes, discrimination, hate speeches, prejudice, and xenophobia, the United Nation's apt choice for this year's theme is "Learning for Lasting Peace."
The UN engages certain days, weeks or months of each year to universal commemorations "to educate the general public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity." For instance, February 1-7 is International Interfaith Harmony Week, March is Women's Month while April 22 is World Earth Day.
Quoting the Oxford Research, "peace can help fulfill the achievement of basic human rights, including the right to receive basic education." This redounds to the provision of educational services and learning means hinged on the absence of physical and cultural violence in a community.
We wonder how the youth get schooled in countries or areas where there is constant cultural and political conflicts or civil unrest.
Compulsory Education
Basic Education is free in almost all countries, including the Philippines. Indeed, basic education is not a privilege. It is a human right.
Education is supposed to be compulsory in that school-aged kids must be in learning institutions at appointed times of the day and not wandering in the streets or working as child laborers.
Parents must monitor and see to it that their children attend school while obligatory attendance and presence are required once the primary and elementary-aged kids are enrolled. Since public education is free, parents and guardians are compelled to register them.
Republic Act 10157 or the K to 12 Law states that it is compulsory for all Filipinos from ages 5 to 18 to undergo and complete basic education.
Why then do we see children in the streets begging, selling stuff, simply "hanging out" or gallivanting. Others are forced to work or help parents earn a living. What are the Departments of Education and of Social Welfare and Development and other concerned government agencies doing about this?
Mandatory Education
Do parents or guardians get penalized if they fail to do so?
RA 9195 mandates the institution of basic education, accountability and authority.
Failure to send a child to school or any learning institution "may be considered a violation." It falls under the category of child abuse and neglect.
The country's Child and Youth Welfare Code highlights the importance of a child's "right to education and protection from neglect."
Of the over 26 million learners enrolled for the School Year 2023-2024, as reported by DepEd, the latest figures of the Philippine Statistics Authority reveals that 18.6 percent are not attending school.
Parents are Accountable
Probably because the penalty is negligible, some parents are not concerned with their kids' education and future.
In 2011, then Senate President Manny Villar filed a bill that would slap a fine of P1,000 for parents or guardians who have neglected sending school-age children to school. Quezon City government, for that same year sanctioned parents or guardians with P5,000 fine and/or one year imprisonment. Nothing much changed.
Are these castigations enough?
In the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba in Canada, whether you are a citizen, resident or alien, there is a fine of $200 for such failure while in Alberta, a parent or guardian could be penalized up to $100 a day for every day of missing school to a maximum of $1,000. The idea alone is very compelling for both parents and students to pay particular attention to quality education.
Alarming Deterioration
Quality learning is a government concern.
Vice President Sara Duterte, also Education secretary, is focused on academic proficiency issues. Of late, Filipino students have fared very dismally in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment in the fields of Mathematics, Science and Reading.
As an immediate action, Duterte launched her agenda "Matatag: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa (Nation for Children, Children for the Nation)" in response to the basic education crisis.
Looking forward to what our schools are expected to produce in the long run, will DepEd's reform in curriculum and infrastructure be the feasible and realistic resolve?
(email opinyon.luchie@gmail.com.)
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