IT takes a village to raise a child! True, but there is more than just a village that can raise a child. And when the village itself is in chaos, how can the village “train up a child in a way he should go that when he is old, he will not depart from it,” as the bible assures?
The happiest little beings of the country will hit the road and enter schools on August 22—the day of liberation for the learners who for two years were trapped in their small home and digital spaces deprived of the traditional classroom. The incoming kindergarten, Grades one, two and three share something in common. They are all entering schools for the first time in their lives. The schools have been prepared for them, and the teachers experience the mixed emotions of anxiety and excitement. The parents? Relieved! Finally, they are reassured that their children will be learning enough, and their teacher-substitute role is soon over.
The highly sociable schoolers and teens are once again ready to fulfil their interpersonal developmental milestones of industry (versus inferiority) and identity (versus confusion) in the social dynamics of a school.
The classroom is an invention of humanity to formalize and socialize the learning experiences of children in a confined and controlled space, which in itself is a diverse yet a representation of the society in itself. The beloved teachers assume various roles for many situations in a highly dynamic learning space of unique individuals complicated by their intervening families and communities. The classroom is probably where one may find the most complex human interaction given the interplay of individualities influenced by the social structures within and around the school systems.
But what can be more complex than the business of preparing young boys and girls for the future, which they barely understand and which we as adults barely have fixed well for ourselves, more so for them?
Education, dubbed as the great equalizer, is regarded in the bottom of the hierarchy of needs. It provides security of competencies for future jobs and productivity, nurtures opportunity for love and belongingness in its social dynamics, enhances self-esteem and facilitates self-actualization in the journey of having, being and becoming. It ensures the “learning to know” of the essential knowledge, the “learning to do” of skills for living and working, the “learning to be” towards the envisioned future self, and “learning to live together” as one collective humanity of global citizens achieving our shared destiny. The challenge of ‘learning to change’ evolves as essential competencies especially in the world that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.
The opening of classes should remind us of the following major concerns that we may need to address not only as individuals and families but also as a society and country.
We cannot teach a hungry child with undernourished brain. Many of our children are malnourished. The Unicef Data indicates that in 2020, 29 percent of under-two children are stunted relative to height for age. This may have worsened considering the pandemic economic crisis. Only 57 percent mothers had initial breastfeeding with only 52 percent sustaining this best infant nutrition to two years. The worst indicator is the death of 26/1,000-births before celebrating their 5th birthday.
While water is a right, water is not available in many schools. DepEd reports in 2021 that only 61 percent of schools have available drinking water from its ground, leaving 39 percent without a source. In the archipelagic Philippines, with the world’s 5th longest coastline and with 421 rivers (50 are biologically dead) Wateroam web site indicates that only 36 percent of these rivers are public water supply source, while only 42 percent of its underground water sources are free of contamination. This leaves 1 out of 10 Filipinos without access to improved water source, or 7 million still consuming water from unsafe and unsustainable sources, or 24 million with lack of access to improved sanitation. The implication is the sustainability to waterborne diseases, which statistics supports that one of the leading causes of deaths remains to be water-borne diseases, like diarrhea, affecting mostly children.
Early Childhood Development is neglected. This is evident from the data that only 29 percent of the under-five children attended early childhood education program, according to Unicef data. The DSWD and LGUs behind these programs may need to align with the Department of Education to ensure the seamless transition to academic preparation towards basic education.
Bullying is real and devastating. The PISA reports that 65 percent of the 15-year-old respondents in 2018 experienced bullying a few times a month. This is high compared to the global average of 23 percent. There were reports that over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnessed bullying taking place while at school. A reported 15 percent of all students who don’t show up for school out of fear of being bullied. Other recent bullying statistics reveal that 54 percent of students reported that witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.
Mental Health Issue is a serious issue, pre-pandemic and beyond. Suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of 14. Bullycide is a term used to describe suicide as the result of bullying. Bullying statistics in 2010 report that there is a strong connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide, according to a new study from the Yale School of Medicine. Suicide rates are continuing to grow among adolescents, and have grown more than 50 percent in the past 30 years. Initial investigation of news articles and media reports into youth suicide rates in the Philippines found that from January to October 2020, there were 44 cases of suicides every month. The PSA said from 2,810 deaths by intentional self-harm in 2019, the number spiked to nearly double or 4,420 in 2020. A research said 16.9 percent of respondents had “moderate to severe” depression, 28.8 percent had “moderate to severe” anxiety and 13.4 percent had “moderate to severe” stress.
Sexual abuse must have escalated during the pandemic. In The 2015 Child Protection Network Annual Report, 87 percent of all cases of sexual violence are girls, 11.7 percent of which occurred in the family home. While victims of sexual exploitation for commercial purposes are predominantly 13 to 18-year-old girls, some of them were forced into prostitution from age 10 for the youngest ones and 98 percent of rape victims are women. The incest percentage is another alarming data at 33 percent. The school may serve as a refuge for these young children to escape their confined environment, but such may only be a relief if appropriate and sustainable action may be taken from the reporting of their ordeal to teachers and other school authorities who are now more accessible to them, or who may see the red-flags of these abuses.
Boys are abused too. There is also a growing data that boys are also sexually abused too in many ways. And their cases are neglected and ignored. But they are also suffering in silence and need to be helped. Such abuse affect their lives in the same way one can imagine. The smaller number of victims and reports is not reason for authorities to turn a blind eye on their ordeal as they suffer in silence.
While some isolated cases have reported abuses happening in schools, the hope remains that the school is a safe place for young boys and girls, whose memory of childhood are nurtured in the learning environment they are now excited to see and be their second home.
There is no doubt, education is something we should all take seriously not only for our children, but for our humanity. And there is more into education than just bringing together the diverse learners within the four-cornered learning environment facilitated by the teacher, in loco parentis. We need to act fast to save, not our education, but our children.
For feedback, please send e-mail to drcarlbalita@yahoo.com.