Safe, inclusive learning environments

Marissa M. Samson

THE Department of Education is firm in its commitment to protect the rights and welfare of learners through the issuance of the national policy framework on learners and schools as zones of peace.

According to the agency, this policy ensures the creation of safe, inclusive, and conflict-sensitive learning environments.

The “Documentation of Good Practices on Schools and Communities in Armed Conflict Situations” was developed to showcase selected case studies of notable peace-building practices and initiatives on establishing and maintaining learners and schools as zones of peace.

This was spearheaded by DepEd–Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) in partnership with UNICEF Philippines, the agency said.

The DepEd reiterated that children and schools are not objects of attack nor zones of battle, but are rather instrumental in building and sustaining a culture of peace in our country.

The practices are reflective of the three building blocks of DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2019 or the National Policy Framework on Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace or LSZOP, namely (1) Education for Peace, (2) Peace for Education, and (3) Crisis Management through Education in Emergencies ( Ei E) .

The crafting of the framework was heavily informed by actual experiences of how the schools and communities adapted and even flourished in the face of the realities and hardships of armed conflict.

Furthermore, the research presented measures to strengthen learning from the cases such as (1) supporting upstream work on the development of an evidence-based national policy framework and guidelines to protect schools and learners in conflict-affected areas, and (2) informing the downstream work on the integration of DRRM practices and peace-building in the professional development of school heads, teachers and education practitioners in specific school divisions and districts affected by armed conflict.

It is Unicef’s hope that this study contributes to making schools safer, more secure, and child friendly. Educators, community members, parents, and students can work together towards a better world where all people live safely and free from fear.

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The author is Teacher I at Minalin Elementary School