黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Education (DepEd) is looking into enhancing its mental health programs in the K-12 curriculum by integrating a learning model on emotional and social competencies that Filipino students need before they join the workforce.

Called the Filipino Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competency framework, the model was developed by ChildFund Philippines, a nongovernmental organization (NGO).

鈥淭he SEL framework will serve as a blueprint right now in terms of not only the curricular aspect, but also the support services rendered to schools. More so now that we are rapidly expanding our mental health program intended to address not only bullying, which is only a small issue in the greater discussion of mental health,鈥� Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban explained in an interview.

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ChildFund education specialist Marlene Floresca said the SEL framework identifies the social and emotional competencies all students should learn to be able to achieve their life goals.

She added that based on the framework, each one must develop the values of 鈥減agpapakatao鈥� (being humane) and 鈥減akikipagkapwa-tao鈥� (fellowship) in order to grow up as 鈥渂atang mahusay at may tiwala sa sarili at kapwa鈥� (a capable child with trust in one鈥檚 self and others).

Competencies

Floresca identified six general SEL competencies through which students could improve themselves:pagkilala sa sarili鈥� (knowing oneself), 鈥減amamahala sa sarili鈥� (self-care), 鈥減agiging responsable鈥� (being responsible), 鈥減agsisikap鈥� (industry), 鈥減akikisama鈥� (getting along with others) and 鈥減agmamalasakit鈥� (compassion).

鈥淩esearches have shown that social and emotional learning promotes good social behavior,鈥� she said, adding that a further localized SEL framework seeks to promote behaviors that combat bullying and aggressive interactions with one鈥檚 peers and even with family and community members.

In developing that model, ChildFund interviewed K-12 and Alternative Learning System students in six areas鈥擬etro Manila and the provinces of Apayao, Negros Occidental, North Cotabato, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

For that endeavor, the NGO partnered with the education advocacy group Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (Seameo-Innotech).

Former Education Secretary Leonor Briones, director of Seameo-Innotech, cited bullying as among the mental health issues that students and teachers need to address.

鈥楤ullying hot spots鈥�

DepEd monitored physical bullying in the majority of the 7,742 cases logged in the school year 2022-2023. Other forms of bullying were social bullying (1,742), cyberbullying (1,137), and gender-based bullying (590).

According to a study this month by De La Salle University and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2), bullying among students was more common in public schools with large class sizes and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The study identified the regions of Caraga and Mimaropa as 鈥渂ullying hot spots,鈥� or those with the highest incidence of bullying in the country.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), in its 2022 study, showed that one out of three Filipino students encountered bullying at least once a week.

It said that by gender, 43 percent of female students and 53 percent of male students experienced bullying several times a month.

Galban cited the need to tackle the bullying problem since most employers鈥攆rom what he observed at a recent career expo organized by DepEd鈥攚ere looking for emotional skills now 鈥渂eing advocated [through] the SEL framework.鈥�

鈥淭hese are not soft skills, 鈥� but essential skills, the capability to maneuver the workplace when there is pressure and disruptions,鈥� he said.

Emphasizing that students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds with varying levels of support, he said the SEL model 鈥渁llows them to gain essential skills 鈥� when they become part of the job market once they emerge from the K-12 program.鈥�