HERE’S one good news for teachers this new school year: the passage of House Bill (HB) 9065 or the Teacher Protection Act on third reading in the House of Representatives. It was unanimously approved.
The passage of this bill into law would aid teachers in disciplining their students and properly managing their classrooms without violating child protection laws.
Instilling discipline to some 60 to 70 pupils in a class without guidelines for student discipline and mechanisms for classroom management would sometimes lead to teachers being accused of violating Republic Act 7610 or the Child Protection Act. With the passage of the Teacher Protection Act into law, there would be an institutionalization of measures governing student discipline and mechanisms for classroom management to ease the burden of public school teachers and school personnel and to establish support for their protection.
The passage of this bill is a huge win for teachers especially as we start another school year. The Senate should als pass a counterpart version of the bill so that it could swiftly be enacted into law. Teachers have long been clamoring for a bill that would guide them in classroom management and protect them from being accused of child abuse.
There is a lack of institutional support in the form of standards and the permissible and effective methods of instilling discipline, guidance counselors to act as support personnel, and legal assistance and representation for our teachers. This bill seeks to amend RA 7610; any act committed by a teacher or school staff pursuant to the disciplinary rules and procedure issued by the Department of Education shall not be deemed as “child abuse.” It also lays down institutionalized support mechanisms for teachers and school personnel in matters of classroom management and discipline.
The passage of this bill into law, along with increasing salaries of teachers and decreasing their additional non-teaching workload and providing schools with adequate facilities for a conducive learning environment would provide students with better quality education.
It is high time that the state listen to the clamor of teachers and compensate their dedication to teach the youth and serve the Filipino people.
