CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Punishment remains as part of school experience for many years. Many learners are

subjected to punishment mostly in public schools and one of them might be my child. Many

claimed that it is still used routinely by teachers or school administrators to punish children for

their poor academic, for having unclean uniforms or for disciplining children who are showing

inappropriate attitudes and non-compliance with the directives of the teachers.

In response to several violent situations and the need to foster a better quality education,

the Department of Education issued DepEd Order No. 40.S. of 2012, known as the DepEd Child

protection Policy,to protect every learner from being abused by their teachers or school

administrators and to promote a zero tolerance policy for any act of child abuse, exploitation,

violence ,discrimination, bullying and other related offenses.

The said policy is based on the provision of the 1987 Constitution Article XV, Section

3(2),which states that the state shall defend the right of the children including abuse, cruelty,

exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.

However, resistance is the first reaction of teachers and school administrator regarding

the said policy. It is further claimed by some teachers that it would be a hindrance to their

teaching and could make them less effective. It is being feared that it might lessen teachers

power to hold student that could cause mismanagement.

This is actually supported by research conducted by Floranza (2014), titled “Awareness

on DepEd Child Protection Policy and Disciplinary Practices along Classroom Management of

Teachers in Integrated Schools in Catanduanes”, which found out that the levels of awareness on
the provisions of DepEd Child Protection Policy of teachers assigned in the Integrated Schools in

Catanduanes has no significant relationship with their disciplinary practices along classroom

management, which means that teachers are aware about the policy yet it does not reflect on the

way they discipline their students. This manifests that many teachers are still bounded by our

culture in terms of disciplining our students and they find it hard to deviate from what is being

rooted from our educational system.

For me being a teacher child protection policy is not against for teachers. One must need

to comprehend what is within it and must develop a better teaching strategies in order for

students to pay attention to what is being taught. Teachers need to understand that every learner

is unique and it is their responsibility to know who their learners are. Adopt a better teaching

style that could get the attention and respect of learners because one does not need to inflict pain

in order for the students to learn. Being a teacher is really not just teaching a learner how to read

and write. But you must learn how to be a father to them. You know when to give praise when

they made the right thing and discipline them when they made the wrong thing.