Sobering reality in our schools
The view that schools are safe havens for learning and character development has been shattered by last month’s deadly Tacloban school shooting.
Two weeks after it happened, 12 incidents of school violence have been reported involving bomb threats, stabbing, riot, and the recovery of firearms and ammunition. These are only the reported ones, and there could be more not brought to the attention of school authorities. The Department of Education (DepEd) said similar incidents have already been recorded even before the Tacloban shooting. They only became frequent afterward, with the risk of copycat incidents.
“Harmless” microaggressions to cases of extreme bullying have long been a reality in schools, but this is the first time that students have used firearms and shot at their schoolmates, resulting in the death of three and injuring 20 more. This incident should jolt authorities into decisive action, including exacting accountability from the adults and institutions that contributed to or enabled the tragedy.
A complex issue
The suspects claimed they had been bullied—it should not have escalated into gun-related violence had the school and community provided intervention. Other factors, such as family dynamics, violent mobile games, and access to firearms, played a role, and each of these should be examined and addressed to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
As the Psychological Association of the Philippines told a Senate inquiry into the shooting earlier this month, school violence is a complex issue influenced by several factors relating to individual development, family, influence of friends and peers, school, community, digital technology, and culture.
The government has sought to address the prevalence of bullying by pushing for the hiring of more guidance counselors in schools, a solution that is not as straightforward as it appears. The counselor-to-student ratio in the Philippines is 1 for every 14,000 students compared to the global standard of 1:250. But there is a severe lack of professionals with the appropriate degree and training to fill these positions.
The Civil Service Commission has approved new qualification standards to allow college graduates holding degrees in psychology, behavioral science, or guidance and counseling to qualify as counselor associates. The position does not require a Professional Regulation Commission license, but they must first complete 200 hours of relevant training. The DepEd has also allocated a P2 billion budget this year for 10,000 associate counselor positions and it must not waste time in filling these vacancies. This will not only prevent the rise of similar cases, but having qualified school counselors in place could help address the psychosocial impact that the Tacloban school shooting had left on students.
Comprehensive approach
Sen. Bam Aquino’s proposal for a School Safety Act that would institutionalize a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence must also be acted on with urgency—from discussing it in plenary to having the President certify the bill as priority legislation.
The measure seeks to strengthen campus security, establish emergency response protocols, improve access to mental health and psychosocial support, and enhance coordination among schools, local governments, law enforcement agencies, parents, and communities through a comprehensive school safety framework.
As Aquino, who also serves as co-chair of Edcom 2, pointed out, ensuring safety in schools is neither the sole responsibility of the DepEd nor of the school, but a duty that must be shared by parents, the community, and institutions.
Ahead of the passage of such law, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered cities and municipalities to establish safer school zones by tapping village watchmen (“barangay tanod”). These watchmen have been reminded, however, to stay outside school premises and enter the campus only when authorized or during emergencies.
‘Active shooter drills’
But a sobering reality that is emerging in schools is the conduct of “active shooter” drills to help students and faculty learn to adapt whenever such situations occur. The drills, according to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, were to be launched last Friday.
“We are adjusting because we have the first-ever school shooting, which means students were the shooters. So we are now doing the active shooter drill,” Angara said.
But DepEd should include appropriate counseling on this new measure so that the young students are properly guided and not desensitized to gun violence.
School shootings used to be news that Filipinos watched with horror as they unfolded in other countries, but the Tacloban tragedy has brought the violence home. The incident should serve as a wake-up call for both the government and community to take immediate steps to reclaim safety and security in schools. The goal should be prevention, more than adaptation, so that such violence does not become the new reality or a recurring nightmare.
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