GMRC, Val-Ed to address high incidence of ‘bullying’ in schools
AMID the nationwide celebration of Filipino Values Month, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure the proper teaching of Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education (Val-Ed) in the country’s basic education schools.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11476 or the GMRC and Values Education Act, which Gatchalian sponsored during the 18th Congress, institutionalized the teachings of GMRC and Values Education in the K to 12 Curriculum.
With 100% face-to-face classes now in full swing, Gatchalian said that schools now have the opportunity to conduct more immersive and hands-on character-building activities, which the law also requires. The law was signed in June 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions were still in place.
Gatchalian also stressed that the subject of Values Education and character-building in schools should help address the high incidence of “bullying” in the country’s schools.
Results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that 65% of Filipino participants reported that they had experienced bullying at least a few times a month, much higher compared to the average of 23% among 79 countries that participated in the survey.
PISA results also said that both aggressors and victims of bullying tend to skip classes, show poorer academic performance, and drop out of school.
“Upang matiyak natin na ang ating mga kabataan ay magiging mabuting mamamayan, kailangang tiyakin natin ang maayos na pagtuturo ng GMRC at Values Education. Napapanahon din ang pagpapaigting sa pagtuturo ng GMRC at Values Education lalo na’t bumalik na ang ating mga mag-aaral sa face-to-face classes. Matapos ang dalawang taon ng distance learning, sa wakas ay mas mapapalalim na ang karanasan ng ating mga kabataan pagdating sa GMRC at Values Education,” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
GMRC and Values Education Act replaced Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP) with GMRC for Grades 1 to 6 and Values Education for Grades 7 to 10. It also mandated the integration of Values Education in current subjects taught to Grade 11 and 12 learners.
