TEACHER PROTECTION ACT

LANI B. DIGNENENG

ACT-Teachers Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro have authored House Bill 58 or the “Teacher Protection Act of 2016,” which aims to amend Republic Act 7610 or the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”

Just recently, the House committee on basic education and culture has approved this bill that would strengthen the protection of public school teachers and personnel against allegations of child abuse.

The bill also seeks to institute support mechanisms for teachers and personnel, which include legal assistance for school teachers and school staff, as well as training on classroom management and child discipline.

Because teachers are at the forefront of the delivery of education services to students every day, their protection is a must.

Sadly, there is a lack of support from the government in terms of standards and methods to protect their rights.

Under the proposed measure, any act committed by a teacher or a staff pursuant to disciplinary rules and procedure issued by the Department of Education (DepEd) would not be deemed as child abuse, cruelty, or exploitation as defined in Republic Act No. 7610.

The proposed measure also seeks to lay down institutional support mechanisms for teachers and school personnel in matters of classroom management and discipline.

The proposed measure also mandates the government to implement in all public schools clearly defined regulations on appropriate student behavior towards other students, teachers, and school staff during classes, and within and outside school premises.

According to HB 58, the DepEd should issue policies and principles on student discipline and classroom management, which would govern all Division-level student manuals.

The measure also instructs DepEd to formulate a student manual to be implemented in all schools under its jurisdiction, which should conform to the guidelines established.

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The author is Teacher III at Lacquios Elementary School