VP Sara mulls adding mandatory scouting in DepEd curriculum

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said Thursday the Department of Education (DepEd) is planning to integrate the mandatory scout movement in its curriculum.

During the 66th Annual National Council Meeting of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines held in Leyte, Duterte said the scout movement “has proven itself as an integral part of our education system” for complementing the academic programs for young Filipino boys.

“This is something that we have been discussing within the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Education—on how to integrate mandatory scouting into the Filipino Peace Culture curriculum,” she added.

The Vice President is also pushing for the revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in the country.

She said the government aims to raise a generation of Filipinos with an enduring love of country and has the willingness and capability to help ensure that the Philippines becomes strong, secure, and stable. 

“The values that young Filipino boys learn from the Scout Movement—honesty, integrity, respect, and service to others—are necessary for our pursuit of a strong, secure, and stable nation,” Duterte said.

She also called on the Boy Scouts of the Philippines to support the Department of Education’s (DepEd) MATATAG agenda for all Filipino children to be able to go to school and obtain degrees.

She also urged the group to help protect the children from sexual abuses, slavery, illegal drugs, terrorist groups, as well as recruitment into extreme religious violent extremism.

“Education, as we know it, is a powerful weapon against poverty and a strong shield against forces that aim to manipulate, control, or poison the minds of the Filipino children and youth,” Duterte said.

Duterte has been designated as the co-vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), according to National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Wednesday.—AOL, GMA Integrated News