Gatchalian bats for strengthening parental involvement in education
SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian expressed his belief that the strong involvement of parents in children’s education, growth, and development is crucial in promoting a healthy, happy, and successful child and keeping children safe from abuse.
Inspired by Valenzuela City’s Nanay Teacher Program, Republic Act No. 11908 or the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) Program Act which Gatchalian principally authored, the new law establishes the PES Program to assist all parents and parent-substitutes in strengthening effective parenting by upgrading their knowledge and skills in effective parenting amid the challenges of innovation, social media, and changes in values.
The PES program encourages parents and parent-substitutes to support their children’s cognitive development fully, most importantly their skills in reading, mathematics, and science. It also helps prevent child abuse by educating parents about the rights of the children and familiarizing them with risk factors of warning signs of abuse in children, according to Gatchalian.
The PES Program primarily covers mothers and fathers of children and parent-substitutes. It will be implemented in every city and municipality through their respective social welfare and development offices and government units. LGU officers shall prepare an annual complete program covering all barangays of their respective jurisdictions. They should prioritize parents and parent-substitutes with vulnerable children such as children at risk, children in conflict with the law, and children who have been exposed to or involved in violence in homes and communities.
Solo parents, adolescent parents, and their parents or parent-substitutes will also be prioritized under the law.
Aside from child development and keeping children safe from abuse, the PES Program also consists of modules on the challenges of parenting, health and nutrition, building the child’s positive behavior, keeping a healthy physical environment for the child, and keeping children safe in times of disasters.
