DepEd urged to start preparing for comeback of GMRC subjects

Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Monday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to start preparing as early as now for the reintroduction of subjects on Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education in schools.

This was after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11476, or the GMRC and Values Education Act, which mandates the inclusion of GMRC classes in the K-12 program.

In a statement, Rodriguez said that while it is no longer possible for the law to be implemented in the upcoming school year pending its implementing rules and regulations, "we have to reintroduce those subjects as soon as possible."

At the same time, he said that DepEd will also have to recruit and train qualified teachers.

“There is a need to return to our curriculum for Grades 1 to 6 the subject Good Manners and Right Conduct and to Grades 7 to 12 the subject Values Education,” he said.

Rodriguez welcomed the signing of the law, saying it is "a timely piece of legislation for the present day.”

With many children more into surfing the Web, modern computer devices and gadgets, he said they tend to forget or ignore good conduct, manners and values.

“The law is in consonance with the goal of improving our primary education system comprehensively. It is high-time we emphasize that quality education does not only entail strength in math, science, and other core subjects; rather, it includes the moral, physical, and mental well-being of our youth,” Rodriguez said.

"[We] look forward to a dynamic implementation of the law, which includes teacher-parent collaborative learning activities, community immersion activities, and other self-actualization tools for our students," he added.

Rodriguez recognizes that there may be challenges in the implementation of the law, considering the blended mode of learning that the DepEd is proposing to implement amid the COVID-19 crisis, but he believes the department can keep up.

"I am confident that the agency, under the able leadership of Secretary Leonor Briones, is up to those challenges," he said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson also called on DepEd to make the necessary adjustments.

“Sana magawan ng sapat na adjustments kung papaano natin maipapatupad kaagad itong subject na GMRC,” Lacson said in a televised briefing.

“Call na ito ng Department of Education kung papaano nila isasagawa ito sa pamamagitan iyong outreach program kasi hindi nga puwede iyong face-to-face muna sa ngayon. So mainam na rin na paghandaan kung papaano natin effectively maipatutupad iyong GMRC Law.”

The shift to the K-12 curriculum in 2013 dissolved GMRC as a regular subject and integrated it to the Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP) which is only given 30 minutes per day at the primary level and two one-hour sessions per week at the secondary level.

Under the law, GMRC will be introduced to kindergartens in their daily learning activities. It will be institutionalized as a separate subject from Grades 1 to 6.

The GMRC curriculum must focus on the basic tenets such as caring for oneself, giving concern for others, according proper respect to people, upholding discipline and order, cultivating sincerity, honesty, obedience and love for country.

From Grades 7 to 10, values education will also be taught as a regular subject.

Once the students reach senior high school, values education will still be integrated in their other subjects.

Teachers who would handle it should have "certification, diploma, and training on values education and allied disciplines." — with Virgil Lopez/KBK/BM, GMA News