Senate wants GMRC to be back to K to 12 curriculums

• On Tuesday, Oct 29, Senator Joel Villanueva pushed for the return of the good conduct and right manners (GMRC) classes
• The proposed bill seeks to teach students the practical and acceptable manners of conducting daily affairs according to universal norms of ethics and morality
• Senator Sherwin Garchalian agrees with the sentiment, saying that we should allot equal time to discuss GMRC as with other traditional subjects such as Math and Science

On Tuesday, Oct 29, Senator Joel Villanueva pushed for the return of the good conduct and right manners (GMRC) classes, incorporating a more comprehensive program under the K-12 curriculum.

via Senate of the Philippines/Facebook

Villanueva said at the Senate committee on basic education hearing the Department of Education’s Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP) or values education program in the K-12 curriculum lacks the necessary activities that would deepen what were taught in class.

“There is a clamor for the revival of [GMRC] in the curriculum, and this clamor is indeed proper, given realities that we observe in our manner of conducting the affairs of the various aspects of our daily lives as Filipinos,” said Villanueva, who authored Senate Bill 860 or the Comprehensive Values Education Bill.

“We can’t discount the fact that Values Education or Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao( ESP) is already included in the DepEd curriculum, yet, there is a clamor for the revival of Good Manners and Right Conduct in the curriculum, and this clamor is indeed proper given realities that we observe in our manner of conducting the affairs of the various aspects of our daily lives as Filipinos,” he added.

He further explained that character-building activities are “necessary” to give “actual opportunities to practice, experience, test, and deepen whatever is taught and caught in the other aspects of learning. He said that these could be in the form of immersions, exposures, outreach programs, and community service activities.

The proposed bill, now in the Senate basic education committee headed by Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, seeks to teach students the practical and acceptable manners of conducting daily affairs according to universal norms of ethics and morality.

In an interview with the media, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also expressed his concern for the lack of classroom time allotted for teaching values education and a shortage of certified teachers specializing in the subject.

“Yes, kailangan na nating ibalik ang values education. Kasama sa values education ang good morals at right conduct dahil nakita natin na over the last 49 years, naging paiba-iba ang pagtuturo ng values education (Yes, we need to restore values education, including good morals and right conduct. Because over the last 49 years, the way values education has been taught became varied),” Gatchalian said.

“So ang gusto natin ngayon ay bigyang emphasis naman ang values education dahil ito ang mabibigay ng tamang pag-asal ng ating mga kabataan at sila ang susunod na henerasyon na magdadala ng tamang asal na ito,” he added.During the hearing various stake holders have echoed their support for the passage of the bill including National Youth Commission, Department of Education, and the Philippine National University, among others.

[Now we want to give emphasis on values education because this would teach the youth good manners, which they would carry on until the next generations.]” 

He also emphasized that equal emphasis should be given to GMRC as to some traditional subjects like Math, Science, and English. 

“This is very important because this will pave the way for helping the new generation learn the right values which is essential to our future as a nation,” he said.

Senators who filed separate measures institutionalizing the GMRC in the K to 12 curriculums are Gatchalian, Senators Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.”

Once the measure is enacted into law, the teaching of values education and GMRC will be conducted for one hour per day for both elementary and high school class and as a separate subject.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is expected to play a big role in the implementation of the bill once it passed into a law. -PNA/Inquirer

Featured image via Manila Bulletin