2018 NATIONAL CHILDREN’S MONTH
The Department of Education (DepEd) joins the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and other government agencies in celebrating the 26th National Children’s Month with the theme Isulong: Tamang Pag-aaruga Para sa Lahat ng Bata this November 2018.
The celebration is pursuant to Republic Act No. 10661, entitled An Act Declaring the Month of November of Every Year as the National Children’s Month, which commemorates the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989 and seeks to instill its significance in the Filipino consciousness. It mandates the DepEd to facilitate and encourage the celebration of this month in all public and private schools nationwide.
This year’s celebration marks the launch of the Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children (PPAEVAC), a multi-sectoral roadmap to progressively reduce violence against children as part of government’s commitment to build an enabling environment that respects, protects and fulfils child rights and address specific Sustainable Development Goals.
The PPAEVAC translates the findings of the 2015 Baseline Study on Violence Against Children into specific actions and results. The study, which was spearheaded by the CWC, reveals that in various setting in the Philippines, it is reported that three in five children have experienced physical violence, three in five children have experienced psychological violence, and one in five children have suffered sexual abuse. The PPAEVAC also considered the findings of the Systematic Review of the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children, which presents VAC as not only an issue of personal behaviour, but as situated in contextual factors that influence individual behaviour such as the family’s level of financial security and education as well as community social norms.
Under the PPAEVAC, DepEd is the lead agency for Key Result Area 2, which states that children and adolescents should demonstrate personal skills in managing risks, protecting themselves from violence, reporting their experience of violence, and seeking professional help when needed.
In support of the key strategies of the PPAEVAC and its implementation, the NCM shall focus on positive parenting. Consistent with positive parenting, the DepEd issued DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012 entitled DepEd Child Protection Policy, which prohibits the use of corporal punishment and promotes the use of Positive Discipline in schools. Positive Discipline is an approach to teaching that helps children develop appropriate thinking and behaviour in the short and long terms and fosters selfdiscipline. It is based on the fundamental principle that children are full human beings with basic rights.
3. In view of the NCM celebration and this year’s theme, the DepEd Central Office, regional and schools division offices, and all public and private elementary and secondary schools are encouraged to undertake the following child-related activities from November 1 to 30, 2017:
a. Hoisting of a streamer depicting this year’s theme, within the school and office premises and posting them and other NCM advocacy materials in official websites and social media platforms.
b. Recitation of the Panatang Makabata in the Flag Raising Ceremony on Nov, 5, 2018, the date of the NCM kick-off celebration, and in other flag raising ceremonies;
c. Conduct of in-school discussions, fora, and/or Learning Action Cells on Positive Discipline using the Positive Discipline in Everyday Teaching: A Primer for Filipino Teachers as reference. The primer provides guidance on how to respond to common classroom situations using Positive Discipline;
d. Conduct of regional, schools division and /or schoolwide orientation-training on Positive Discipline in Everyday Teaching by trained facilitators;
e. Conduct of orientation, fora and learning sessions on Positive Discipline with the members of the Parents-Teachers Association;
f. In-class discussions on current issues, such as bullying, in the appropriate learning areas; and
g. Conduct of child-friendly activities, such as art contests, poster and sloganmaking contests, children’s fair, and/or photo exhibit in relation to the theme.