DepEd: Teacher who hit Boy Scouts had passion but should've used positive discipline

The teacher who was caught on video hitting Boy Scouts in Isabela showed passion for the students under her care, but should have used positive discipline, Education Undersecretary Annalyn M. Sevilla said Saturday.

After a video of the teacher hitting Boy Scouts went viral, the Department of Education started an investigation on the incident, Sevilla said. 

“Immediately, noong nakita yung video, without any formal complaint, ginawa na po ng Division at Regional Office 'yung fact-finding investigation,” Sevilla said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

The investigation suggests that the teacher burst with anger at the scouts because they left the tent when she bought food for them, Sevilla said.

She said the students present in the video are in Grades 4, 5, and 6. The teacher expected that the Grade 6 students will look out for the younger students but when she came back some of them were not there.

The said teacher is assigned to the class of Grade 1 and not to Grades 4, 5 and 6, Sevilla said.

“Hindi po niya ito mag-aaral talaga. Siya po ay isang volunteer at hindi po kasama sa kanyang task ang scout master,” she said.

In addition, the scouts under the teacher’s supervision joined an activity but scored zero, Sevilla said.

“Sabi ng teacher, may activity na pinagawa sa mga Boys Scout pero pagbalik niya, 'yung grupo niya zero sa activity," she said.

Sevilla said she saw the passion for and attachment of the teacher to the students in the video.

Moreover, Sevilla said that she got the point of the teacher that if something happens to the students, she could be held accountable.

"'Yung disiplina is the vital key in the learning of the students. Kung hindi natin gagawin, hindi kumpleto 'yung eduaction na mangyayari," she said.

Sevilla emphasized however that teaching discipline should be positive: free of negative words and corporal punishment.

“Zero tolerance po ang DepEd [Department of Education] sa corporal punishment,” Sevilla said. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News