Anti-child labor awards for teachers set

Davao City (14 July) — Seeing the role of teachers in encouraging kids attend school, a project in partnership with the Department of Education is set to identify commendable teachers who did well in eliminating child labor through education.

It is through the 2nd Gawad ACLAT or Anti-Child Labor Award for Teachers that both the government sector and the private initiative through ABK 2 (Pag-aaral ng Bata Para sa Kinabukasan) can they see a potential reduction of children doing labor and bring them back to school.

“This time, we will recognize teachers who go beyond teaching hours just to keep children in school”, said ABK2 project director Daphne Culanag. The award pays tribute to teachers, adult para-teachers and little teachers as they contribute in the fight against child labor.

ABK2,now on its second phase, was led by the World Vision Development Foundation and funded by the United States Department of Labor. It specifically aims to combat child labor through education in the Philippines.

One of its projects is teachers’ training wherein ABK2 first trained 43 teachers. Those teachers then re-echoed their learning and conducted their own trainings benefiting about 150 additional teachers nationwide.

“In this initiative, we tried to draw the line between what is acceptable child work from unacceptable child labor,” said Culanag.

Teachers then became creative in integrating the importance of going to school in mainstream subjects like English, Science and Math.

The project organizers also tapped Child Labor Education Task Forces (CLETFS), Community Watch Groups (CWGs) and Barangay Children’s Associations (BCAs) in the advocacy of eliminating child labor.

DepEd, too, actively partnered in this project believing that the best strategy against child labor is education and the most effective tool to realize this strategy are the teachers.

Covered areas include Bulacan, Metro manila, Camarines Norte, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Leyte, Davao, Davao del Sur, and Compostela Valley.

End of the elimination is on June 5 next year, giving more time for the public to identify and nominate teachers doing exemplary works for the elimination of child labor. (PIA XI)