House OKs bill on ‘good manners and right conduct’ school subject

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the measure seeking the inclusion of good manners and right conduct (GMRC) as a separate subject at kindergarten to Grade 3 levels.

Voting 225 in the affirmative and zero votes against it, the chamber approved House Bill 5829, a consolidation of the proposals of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and eight other lawmakers.

The measure proposes that the GMRC subject be included in the curriculum of kindergarten to Grade 3 levels, taking into account the Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao Curriculum of the Department of Education's K-12 program.

The subject is expected to teach these school children the concepts of "human dignity, respect for oneself, and giving oneself to others in the spirit of community, for the effective and holistic development of the decision-making skills of the child."

"The curriculum shall also focus on the basic tenets of good manners and right conduct, such as: caring for oneself, giving concern for others, according proper respect to people, upholding discipline and order, cultivating sincerity, honesty, obedience, and above all, love for country," the measure added.

Cayetano earlier stressed the need to inculcate good moral values to students.

"We want to reemphasize that learning in basic education is not only intellectual, hindi lang academic, ‘yung spiritual, ‘yung emotional, nandiyan ‘yan," he said.

"So, hindi lang ‘yan ang magiging focus ng Kongreso na ‘to, ‘yung music, ‘yung physical education , ‘yung arts na nawala nung dumami, dumami ang estudyante at naging libre ang edukasyon, gusto natin ibalik, pero ang pinakabasic tingin natin, ‘yung good morals and right conduct," he added.

The measure mandates the Department of Education to provide appropriate training for teachers in kindergarten to Grade on GMRC to develop their capacity to teach the subject.

The department is also tasked to formulate the implementing rules and regulations for the measure within 90 days from its effectivity. — DVM, GMA News