Gatchalian urges DepEd to enforce anti-bullying measures in schools

By: Katrina Hallare, INQINQUIRER.net, 14 Dec 2019

MANILA, Philippines —With the Philippines having a high rate of students being bullied, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday called on the Department of Education to enforce anti-bullying measures in schools.

Gatchalian made the call after the results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) global education survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that 65% of Filipino participants reported that they had experienced bullying at least a few times a month, compared to an average of 23% among 79 countries that participated in the survey.

The study also showed that the Philippines had the lowest ranking in reading and second to the lowest ranking in science.

“We need to see the whole picture as to why our students were ranked the lowest in the Pisa survey,” Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said in a statement in Filipino.

“If we look at the study, it shows that bullying was one of the reasons as to why our students ranked the lowest,” he added.

Gatchalian then pointed out the importance of values education, adding that there should be “emphasis on how witnesses to bullying situations can effectively intervene.”

“It’s important to teach to school officials it’s their duty to provide safety,” he added. “Not only the students and teachers but also the parents and the members of the community should participate too.”