Child-centered education

Aiming to reinforce efforts on upholding the rights of the child in education at present and in post-pandemic times, the Department of Education recently held a groundbreaking 3rd National Summit on the Rights of the Child.

The National Summit, the culmination of DepEd’s celebration of the 2021 National Children’s Month, introduced the rights-based education (RBE) framework of the Department, Child Rights in Education Desk (CREDe), Child Protection Unit (CPU), and other efforts of the agency on child rights during the pandemic.

It was conducted in partnership with Stairway Foundation Inc., Save the Children Philippines, and UNICEF Philippines.

Education officials noted that their efforts, reflections, projects, and hard work are all centered on the child.

This pandemic, they said, has taught them to build more partnerships and be relentless in their pursuit of protecting children and championing their rights. Built on the gains of the first two Summits, the Department created the Child Rights in Education Desk (DO No. 3, s. 2021) in January 2021 to strengthen its advocacies on the rights of the child in basic education.

CREDe, using a legal and child rights lens, is mandated to act as the lead unit of DepEd to flesh out and articulate standards and meanings of child rights in basic education, as well as advocate and build capacity on the rights of the child in basic education, with a view to anchoring and integrating child rights in the mandate and work of the DepEd.

With the theme: “Batang May K: Karapatan ng Bata sa Edukasyon, Kasama ang Lahat sa Pagsulong!”, the Third National Summit also aimed to facilitate discussions and elicit recommendations on upholding RBE through a wholeof-school, whole-of-DepEd, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society appr oach.

As every child has a right to education, a strong partnership and close coordination with the Department of Education and partners helps UNICEF build teachers’skills, develop learning materials, and make programs accessible that ensure the well-being of children, no matter where they are.

Along with DepEd and partners, they can ensure that the best interest of every child comes first, especially now as in-person schooling started in selected areas.

Participants of the Summit include officials and representatives from all governance levels of DepEd nationwide, public and private schools, national agencies, local government units, NGOs, and international organizations, the academe, professional organizations, business, media, parents, and the children and learners.

Consistent with the previous events, the forum ensured that the participation and opinion of children are heard and considered seriously, especially on policies affecting them.

Student-leaders, ALS learners, and SPED learners participated in the summit by narrating their experiences in their respective schools and through a roundtable discussion with selected DepEd officials headed by the Secretary.

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The author is Senior High School Teacher II at Pasig National High School, Division of Pampanga