Abstract
This study determined the schools’ level of awareness and the implementation of Child protection policy and learners’ etiquette and behavior in selected JHS in the City Division of Cabuyao. 378 learners and 163 teachers who were randomly selected from three JHS in the mentioned division served as the respondents. A validated researcher-made questionnaire was used as the main instrument for gathering data. The findings revealed that both teacher and student-respondents in the three schools are aware of the Child Protection Policy. Further, the three schools implemented the Child Protection Policy in terms of Prevention, Immediate Response to School Violence and Mitigation and Intervention and Incident Reporting. Also, the schools’ level of awareness in Child Protection Policy and learners’ etiquette were found to have no significant relationship.
Key terms: Child Protection Policy, Bullying, Junior High School, Classroom Etiquette, Social Behavior
Introduction
The school is a critical individual and social condition in the lives of its understudies. A youngster neighborly school guarantees each kid a domain that is genuinely sheltered, sincerely secure and mentally empowering. It is something beyond a spot for formal learning (UNICEF, 2012).
Preeminent, it is an establishment that perceives and regards the scope of privileges of youngsters and not simply their entitlement to be instructed. These rights likewise incorporate their privileges to be solid, to be given open doors for play and recreation, to be shielded from damage and misuse, to communicate their perspectives uninhibitedly, and to partake in dynamic as per their advancing limits (DepEd, 2012).
A kid cordial school has the accompanying five qualities: it is comprehensive, sexual orientation touchy, and non-segregating; it is kid focused; it is sound for kids; it is mindful and defensive all things considered, and; it includes youngsters' families and the network. A kid agreeable school perceives, empowers, and supports youngsters' developing limits as students by giving a school culture, training practices and educational plan content that are centered around learning and the student. The capacity of a school to be and to call itself youngster well disposed is straightforwardly connected to the help, interest and cooperation it gets from families. Youngster inviting schools plan to build up a learning domain in which kids are propelled and ready to learn. Staff individuals are well disposed and inviting to kids and go to all their wellbeing and security needs (UNICEF, 2012).
In reality, one cannot deny the fact that a school encounters challenges such as bullying or peer abuse, child abuse, discrimination, child exploitation, violence against children and corporal punishment. These problems have been recognized as a major threat to the younger generations in almost every country in the world. Despite the beauty and charm of this developing country, the Philippines has struggled with these issues for years. All these complications plague Filipino society.
There are at least 31 reported incidents of bullying every day in the Philippines. August 2010 to May 2012, a total of 112 cases of child abuse and related complaints have been referred to according to the DepEd Central Office, 22 of those complaints came from Region IV-A. A total of 5,236 documented cases in 2013 in public and private elementary and secondary schools in the country. This number increased by 21 percent in the next year with 6,363 reported cases. Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara cited the data from the DepEd (Manila Bulletin, 2018) that the country has 19,672 cases of bullying were recorded during school year 2016-2017 which translates 97 reported incidents based on a cycle of 202 school days.
According to Luistro (2012), bullying and other forms of violence in schools should be viewed not just as a school problem but as a societal problem as well.” Due to the continuous increase in the number of child abuse cases, bullying cases, physical, verbal and sexual abuses, the Department of Education implemented the DepEd Order No. 40, S. 2012, also known as the Child Protection Policy. This is also included in the DepEd Memorandum No. 5 series of 2017 or the Reiteration of the Department of Education Anti-Bullying Policy signed by DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones.
In addition to this, the government passed the Republic Act 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 which seeks to prevent and address bullying in elementary and secondary schools. Furthermore, Article XV Section 3 (b) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that “the state shall defend the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development”. Lastly, the Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act provides special protection to children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation and discrimination.
Personal observations regarding the different behaviors of students in the community, the different behaviors of teachers towards the students and the behaviors of students towards the teachers and fellow students prompted the researcher to pursues this study on the level of awareness and implementation of Child Protection Policy and students’ etiquette and behavior in selected junior high schools in the City Schools Division of Cabuyao. The researcher wanted to know whether the students and teachers in the selected schools in Cabuyao are aware of the rights and limitations inside or outside the school premises. The researcher also wanted to determine how the teachers implement the policy in order to protect the welfare of the students.
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