Skip to main content

House committee on education approves bill addressing 'bullying'



MANILA, Philippines - The committee on basic education and culture of the House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill to address the rising incidence of “bullying” or intimidation inflicted by school bullies against their schoolmates.


The panel, chaired by Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero, calendared House Bill 5248 or the “Anti-Bullying Act” for plenary debates to ensure immediate passage of the measure.


HB 5248 is a consolidation of the various measures filed in the chamber that will make it mandatory for all elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies to address the acts of bullying in their institutions.
Among the authors of the measure are Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the House committee of higher and technical education, and Ako Bicol party-list Reps. Rodel Batocabe, Alfredo Garbin, and Christopher Co.
Angara said the bill requires schools to have policies about bullying.


“Schools must acknowledge this problem of bullying since this is not a normal part of growing up,” Angara said.
He said the bill aims to protect all students from irreparable physical, psychological, emotional and mental harm.
He said school policies against bullying should include the enumeration of what constitutes bullying, and issuing a clear prohibition of bullying.


Under the bill bullying refers to any “severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture that causes on another student reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his or her property.”


HB 5248 directs school officials to provide mechanisms that would address bullying. These include notification of law enforcement agencies, taking appropriate disciplinary administrative action and notifying parents and guardians of the perpetrators.


The measure also mandates the Department of Education to include in its training programs courses that will teach school administrators, teachers and employees ways of preventing and handling bullying incidents.


http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=442&articleId=729602

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Graduation Symbols: The Toga, The Hood, The Cap and The Diploma

A graduation ceremony is a very important event that any dedicated student looks forward to. It is the culmination of the minimum twelve years spent in studying and training to prepare oneself for the challenges of the world beyond the walls of an educational institution. It is one of the rites of passage that students are eager to cross, officially leaving their status as minors and setting out into the real world as adults. The traditional graduation attire is composed of a toga or gown, a hood and a cap. The diploma, which best completes and makes official the graduate status of a student, is awarded to each graduate later in the ceremony. Each of these articles symbolizes an important meaning surrounding the educational success of a graduate. The Toga Each educational institution usually has its own design and variation of the graduation toga, although all of them are basically similar. High school and college togas are long and reach just below the knee; high school togas are oft...

Build a Simple Electric Guitar in 10 minutes (Diddley Bow)

Nikon D3000 review