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DepEd to train teachers, parents to find, address bullying ‘red flags’
By GISELLE OMBAY,GMA Integrated NewsThe Department of Education (DepEd) said Thursday that it wants to conduct training for teachers and parents so they could learn how to spot the “red flags” of bullying among learners.
At a Palace briefing, DepEd spokesperson Undersecretary Michael Poa said that the agency’s Bureau of Learners Support Services wants to have a more effective screening system that would help identify and address the bullying situation in schools.
“Kasi ang mental health, actually number one is you have to be able to determine, to identify learners that need intervention. At ang isang project ng DepEd ngayon is to actually come up with the more effective screening system,” Poa said.
(To address mental health problems, you have first be able to determine and identify learners that need intervention. Thus, one of the projects of DepEd now is to come up with a more effective screening system.)
“So, alongside ‘yung screening system, gusto din nating mag-train ng teachers and parents to spot red flags para sila ‘yung magsabi sa atin na kailangan ng intervention ng kanilang mga anak,” he added.
(Alongside the screening system, we also want to train teachers and parents to spot red flags so that they can inform us that their children need intervention.)
Poa said that DepEd has started the pilot run of the training for teachers in certain areas. He has yet to inform if the training for parents has begun.
In November 2023, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said that DepEd, through the Learner’s Telesafe Contact Center Helpline, received a total of 1,709 reports of various forms of abuse committed against learners.
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Duterte has called on both teaching and non-teaching DepEd personnel to establish a healthy and safe space among learners in schools, and also stressed the urgency of the need to address child abuse online.
Poa noted that around 120 cases have been resolved by DepEd’s Learner Rights and Protection Office.
“But you know, pagdating kasi sa ganitong reporting system, dalawa ‘yan eh—- pwede kang magsabi na, yes, naka-resolve ka ng 120 cases, pero [when it comes to reporting system, we could just say we’ve resolved 120 cases but] we still don’t know if there is underreporting going on,” he said.
“That’s why we need to make sure that our system is accessible to everyone, even to anonymous complaints kasi maraming takot na mag-complain [because there are many of those afraid to complain]. To make sure that people are really being encouraged to report.”
DepEd Undersecretary Gina Gonong also pointed out that parents and the community should be engaged to reduce, if not eliminate, bullying in schools.
“Addressing bullying can’t just be DepEd’s responsibility. So, we’re reviewing mechanisms to address bullying in schools pero we’ll have to remember na kailangan ng parental support at nakita rin naman sa results sa PISA ‘di ba kung gaano kahalaga iyong parental support sa performance ng bata,” she said.
(We have to remember that parental support is needed to address bullying, and we can see in the PISA results how important parental support is to the child's performance.)
Students who experience abuse concerns could email weprotectlearners@deped.gov.ph, contact (02) 8632-1372/ 0945-175-9777, or message https://facebook.com/deped.lrpo/.—RF, GMA Integrated News