Lawmaker wants DepEd reverted to DECS

MANILA, Philippines — Former Manila mayor and now Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza has refiled a bill in the House of Representatives seeking to revert the Department of Education (DepEd) to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS).

Atienza said House Bill 1108 aims to bring back the students’ involvement in culture and the arts as well as sports development and prevent the youth from getting into drugs.

The measure seeks to amend Republic Act 9155 or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, which reorganized the DECS into DepEd.

“Removing culture and sports education from the DepEd led to a generation of Filipino children becoming more familiar with foreign cultures and traditions than their own,” Atienza said.

“Practically, every Filipino is gifted with artistic talent but most of them nowadays don’t know their own traditional songs and dances. If we allow this to continue, our children, especially those in public schools, will not get the kind of foundation they need to become more responsible citizens,” he added.

Atienza said sports training in public schools would give students a chance to excel in international competitions.

“The youth nowadays are more interested in video games and social media than what is happening around them. They go straight to internet cafes and billiard halls to hang out with their friends,” he said. “Why? Because there are no cultural and sports activities that would keep them busy and provide them with more productive use of their time.”

No homework policy

The DepEd will study the impact on the teaching and learning process of the proposed measures that would prohibit giving homework to elementary and high school students.

The agency supported the vision of the legislative proposals, noting its existing policy in public schools that prohibits homework on weekends.

“By ensuring that they complete all assignments and projects in school, the no-homework policy enables learners to find balance between their academic development and personal growth by having ample time for enjoyable activities with family,” DepEd said.

“The department will study the other provisions of the bills to determine the repercussions on the current teaching and learning process,” it added.