C HA PT E R II
NATIONAL P O L IC IE S O N HUMAN RIG HT S E DU CAT ION
IN S C H O O L S

The formal education system in the Philippines is a product of almost 400 yearsof colonial rule and half a century of unstable post-colonial government. It
developed in accordance with the character of the government in existence. The
formal education system under the Spanish colonial rule (1565-1899) was limited
and catered mainly to the small Spanish community and the upper class
Filipinos until 1863 when an education decree was issued for the establishmentof a primary school in each town. (Diokno and Villegas: 1998, 120-121; Arcilla:
1971, 50-51) The American colonial government (1899-1946) introduced theuniversal public school system, and opened opportunities for more Filipinos to
get formal education. The short Japanese colonial rule (1942-1945) likewise
supported education. All these education systems aimed at maintaining loyalty
to the colonial governments. The focus of education changed according to theinterest of the colonial government – Catholicism and loyalty to "mother" Spainfor the Spanish colonial government, American brand of democracy andeconomic development for the American colonial government, and new Filipino
culture (opposite the Western culture) based on "self-consciousness as Orientals"
for the Japanese colonial government. (Jose: 1998, 224-225) Post-war
governments focused on “nation-building” including the economic developmentof the new Republic.
Though major changes in the education system occurred during the last 50 years,
the general character of the national political, social and economic context hasremained largely the same. Elitist political, social and economic system did notlead the educated population to economic prosperity. Despite high national
literacy rate, a significant portion of the population still lived below poverty line.
The education sector has suffered much from either politicization that suits theinterest of those who hold power in government or neglect in favor of otherconcerns.
From the end of the Second World War, the education system has been facing afast growing population whose need for education has not been fully satisfied.
Social unrest, resulting from the continuing social injustice, has created additional
challenge to the task of providing universal education. Armed conflict has been
depriving children in certain areas of the country of the education they fully
deserve. Quality education has become a major concern in terms of content andcapacity of the educators to deliver desired learning output.
The recent decades

During the last three decades, the Philippine education system underwent
significant phases of change. Martial rule (1972-1981) brought out the education
policy of promoting the “New Society” with the requirement of molding
disciplined citizenry for economic development. The education system was used
to support the authoritarian government to the point of undertaking a massive
task of changing culture through a variety of means from learning materials thatpraise the "New Society" and then President Ferdinand E. Marcos as the newhero to singing new government anthem during morning ceremonies to engaging
students in extra-curricular activities (such as community service) – all upheld
the motto “Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan” (For thedevelopment of the country, discipline is necessary). While indeed a sense of
discipline was necessary to move the country forward, the authoritarian
government was not known for tolerating independent thinking in the education
system since this would lead to a critical view of the government.
Social unrest continued during this period. Despite the avowed objective of thegovernment to pursue “democratic revolution” or “revolution from below” (nonviolent societal change centered on agrarian reform), the communist movement
grew in strength and continued to engage the government in armed conflict. A
separatist Muslim movement arose and started its armed campaign to secedefrom the Philippines. The armed conflict situation became the context for the riseof warrantless arrests, indefinite detention, torture, disappearances andextrajudicial killings (salvaging) of politicians, intellectuals, student activists,
non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, laborers and farmers. A climateof fear pervaded the country, with the military establishment taking a major partin the process.
The promised economic development under martial rule turned out false. Long
suspected corruption and economic mismanagement led to economic crisis in theearly 1980s. Political crisis ensued with the growing opposition to the Marcos
government kindled by the assassination of a leader in the political opposition(Benigno Aquino, Jr.) in 1983. Three years later, in 1986, with the opposition to
the government spreading to the whole country, a failed military coup led to theso-called EDSA People Power. The military establishment succumbed to thepressure of the public (with thousands of people gathering in Metro Manila's
EDSA highway) for a peaceful change of government. President Marcos, after theUnited States government withdrew its support, was forced to relinquish power.
The change of government brought about the adoption of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution. Aside from provisions on mechanisms designed to prevent a repeatof the dictatorial rule under Marcos, the 1987 Constitution tries to address the
major problems confronting the country – economic underdevelopment, lack ofparticipation of people in governance, and human rights violations. It is a total
departure from the 1973 Constitution, its immediate predecessor. The 1973
Constitution was designed to support the Marcos dictatorship while the 1987
Constitution contained provisions to prevent another dictatorship. The

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

27commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution was very conscious and cautious
in ensuring that democratic principles were strengthened and provisions weremade against any use of power in support of dictatorial rule. Hence it included
human rights in the different sections of its draft constitution.
As a result, a new legislature, but very similar to the pre-Martial rule legislative
body, was inaugurated. The new government promised to be different from the
Marcos government. It offered new opportunities for changes in the education
system. Corazon C. Aquino, as President, initiated education reforms byincorporating values education as one of the subjects in basic education andteacher education institutions. The values education program was the flagshipprogram of the then Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture andSports, Dr. Lourdes Quisumbing. This was also the beginning of theincorporation of human rights education into the basic education as a means ofrestoring the values of democracy after the Marcos dictatorship.
The government of the succeeding President (Fidel V. Ramos, 1992-1998)
successfully pursued peace talks with the communist and Muslim-secessionist
movements. It also implemented a relatively successful deregulated economic
development program that spurred vigorous economic activities from the private(local and foreign) sector. The government adopted a Medium-Term
Development Program (MTDP) for the 1993-1998 period that prescribed
investment in education and building of human capacities through skills training
and poverty alleviation programs. The government also approved a 10-year
education project (1997-2006) directed at the poorest provinces in thePhilippines (called Third Elementary Education Project or TEEP) with funding
support from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and World Bank
(WB). TEEP aims to a) improve the learning achievements, completion rates andaccess to quality primary education in 23 poor provinces; b) build theinstitutional capacity of the Department of Education (DepEd) to manage thechange process; and c) actively involve the community and the local government
in the effort. President Ramos also signed two important documents to pursue
human rights education in the country: Human Rights Education Decade Planand Philippine Plan on Gender and Development.
During the term of the next President (Joseph Ejercito Estrada), education
became a major issue through a legislative committee report on the deterioratingstate of the education system and the need to provide more funding and othersupport for its development. This led to the Project Teacher Amelioration for
Optimum Welfare, which aims to "improve education by improving teacher
welfare." This was a joint project of SEAMEO-INNOTECH, DepEd, and thePhilippine Senate. One result, based on its survey of the situation of teachers, isthe finding that the "teachers are mostly young, married women; hence the needto provide maternity benefits and substitute teachers." (Cabanatan 1999) During
this period however scandals hit the government, including a case on textbooks
procurement. With increasing public perception of corruption and cronyism in the28

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schoolsgovernment, and public anger on the effort to muzzle an impeachment process,President Estrada was forced out of office in the second EDSA People Power.
The succeeding government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo adopted a
new school curriculum for primary and secondary levels, known as Basic
Education Curriculum. The new curriculum, according to the DepEd, is a productof 16 years of study, and consultations with various stakeholders - the schools,
parents, students, business, trade and industry, NGOs and the people in the
DepEd who administer the education system at the ground level. It focuses on
the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, science and patriotism. Values areintegral to all the subject areas; hence, this was a big opportunity for the
integration of human rights values and concepts in basic education curriculum.
For the tertiary level, the Philippine Constitution is a mandated course forgeneral education, and human rights education became one component in the
Licensure Examination for Teachers.
Post-Marcos governments share the same problem of a national economy that is
not strong enough to lift a significant number of the population out of poverty.
Political crises hamper efforts to achieve this goal, in the same way that thecontinuing armed conflicts sap much of the government resources that should bechanneled to economic and social programs. (Human Development Network:
2005: 3-31) This situation affects the education system, which continues to sufferfrom limited school facilities and learning materials, lack of adequately trainedteachers, among others, because of budgetary constraints. This is a major
problem resulting from the failure of the government to allocate more funds to theeducation system as investment for the development of the country.
CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN
THE PHILIPPINESThe 1987 Constitution is credited for its strong support for human rights. Its
State Policies (Article II, Sec. 11) provide, among others, the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•

The State shall promote social justice in all phases of national
development.
The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees fullrespect for human rights.
The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shallensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men.
The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people
and instill health consciousness among them.
The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to abalanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmonyof nature.
The State affirms labor as a primary social economic force. It shallprotect the rights of workers and promote their welfare.

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

29

•
•

The State recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous culturalcommunities within the framework of national unity and development.
The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public
service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.

Constitutional law commentators stress the Bill of Rights as the main humanrights content of the 1987 Constitution. They emphasize that this Bill of Rights
has better provisions compared to those in the previous Philippine Constitutionsof 1935 and 1973. By definition, the Bill of Rights pertains to civil and politicalrights, and includes such basic rights as right to life, liberty, and property. But
the 1987 Constitution has other provisions on human rights relating to economic,
social and cultural issues. A whole new section, entitled “Social Justice andHuman Rights”, contains provisions on health, women, role and rights ofpeople's organizations, and human rights which are not found in the previous
Constitutions.
The subsection on human rights creates an independent office called theCommission on Human Rights which is mandated toestablish a continuing program of research, education, and information
to enhance respect for the primacy of human rights.
There is also an explicit provision on human rights education. The section on
education (Article XIV, Section 3[2]) requires all educational institutions to“inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love of humanity, respect forhuman rights, appreciation of the role of national heroes in the historicaldevelopment of the country, teach the rights and duties of citizenship…”
The 1987 Philippine Constitution provides strong rationale for the government topromote, and implement programs on, human rights education in the country.
Considering the numerous provisions on specific human rights, it likewise
provides the content of human rights education that schools should promote.
Implementation of the constitutional mandate
The 1987 Constitution requires enabling legislations to fully implement many of
its provisions. On human rights and related issues, several laws and executive
orders/issuances subsequently came out. A 2003 law declares December 10 th to
14 th of each year as the “National Human Rights Consciousness Week” andrequires all branches of the government as well as private institutions to observe
such week (Republic Act No. 9201 - An Act Declaring December 4 to 10 As
National Human Rights Consciousness Week in the Country, promulgated on 1
April 2003).
The law directs all educational institutions to celebrate the Human Rights Week.
It states that30

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

All levels of education/learning institutions, both public and private,shall celebrate the week through simple and appropriate ceremonies andactivities to propagate, particularly among the students, a humanrights culture that aims at sustainable development in the country.
(Section 4)
The institutionalization of weeklong celebration of human rights was started
earlier through a 1987 Presidential Proclamation (Proclamation No. 177 issued
by then President Corazon Aquino on 30 October 1987) which declares
December 3 rd to 10 th as Human Rights Week. It mandates the Philippine
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to initiate activities that would highlightthe observance of Human Rights Week. It urges all government offices andagencies to conduct commemorative and educational activities. The 2003 law
superseded this 1987 proclamation.
There are likewise specific-sector laws, policies and programs that implement theconstitutional provisions on human rights.
Women
In 1988, the government issued an executive order adopting the Philippine
Development Plan for Women for the 1989 to 1992 period (Executive Order No.
348). It was followed by a law on women in development and nation-building in
1992 (Women in Development and Nation Building Act, Republic Act No. 7192),
which led to the Philippine Development Plan for Gender-Responsive
Development or PPGD (Executive Order 273) in 1995. PPGD covers the 19952025 period, and superseded the 1988 plan.
PPGD is the country's long-term plan for gender and development. It sets down
the priority gender and women concerns of the country that should be addressed
within a 30-year period. Essentially, the PPGD is the most logical translation of
the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action (BPA) of the Fourth World Conference on
Women (Beijing, People's Republic of China) into national commitments andinitiatives.
The executive order requires all agencies of the government to implement the
PPGD in their own areas of concern. Part of the PPGD concerns the education of
women and girls. Hence, the DepEd and the Commission on Higher Education(CHED) are mandated to implement PPGD in all schools of the country.
The executive order assigns the National Commission on the Role of Filipino
Women with the assistance of the National Economic and Development
Authority to be the lead agency in monitoring the implementation of PPGD in all
government agencies.

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools31Pre-1995 government issuances are still applied in implementing the PPGD. The
Office of the President of the Philippines issued memorandum Circular No. 94-1
in 1994 to adopt the Gender and Development (GAD) Program. This
memorandum provides the policy framework and procedures for planning andbudgeting of Gender and Development Programs in all government agencies. This
memorandum requires all government agencies to allocate five percent (5%) of
their total budget to Gender and Development (GAD) Projects.
The Department of Education, Culture and Sports (now DepEd) issued DECS
Order No. 48 (1990) to implement its GAD Program. This order requires the
DepEd to integrate women’s thrust and concerns into the school curriculums
including teacher and personnel training. The goal of this policy is to eliminate
gender biases by integrating gender-fair messages into the basic curriculum,
instructional materials, everyday teaching/learning processes, policies, programs
and projects in all schools.
DECS Order No. 19 (1990) organized DECS WID Focal Point to ensure thatGAD Program is implemented. The Focal Point operates as a committee or task
force headed by a Chairperson who reports directly to the Secretary of DepEd.
Its initial membership was drawn from the following: General Manager (Bureau
Director level), Division Chief, Assistant Division Chief, Board Secretary and
Senior Analysts of DepEd.
In support of the integration of women’s rights and concerns into the school
curriculum, DepEd developed GAD core messages, which are used as guidelines
for the promotion of gender-fair education in Philippine schools. These coremessages are shown below:
DepEd Key Concepts and Core Messages on Gender-Fair Education
A. Shared Parenting
1. In two-parent families, both fat her and mother share in childrearing joys and responsibilities to develop the nurturing andemotive capabilities of each. Parents exercising sharedparenting are better role models for their ch ildren.
2. In other families, all supportive adults in the household canshare parenting.
B. Shared Home Management
Both parents are capable income earners and providers for t hefamily. Both parents perform household chores and attend tofamily needs such as health care, recreation and values education.
Economically able household members have the responsibili ty
to share in providing for family needs.
Family budgeting is a joint family affa ir/concern.
C. Shared Decision-Making
32

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

Decision-making is shared at a ll levels with i n the family.
- Openness between husband and wife is encouraged in all major
and minor matters affecting the family.
- Family council for consulta tion should be encouraged to allow
parents, ch ildren and other household members to speak andlisten to each other freely.
- Determining the number and spacing of children and/or choiceof fertility management to be used is a joint decision of husband
and wife.
1.

1.
2.

1.
2.
3.

4.

1.

2.
3.
4.

D. Equal Opportunities
Equal
opportunity
ineducation,
non-traditional
livelihood/occupation, health services, credit/loan programs should be
provided to both male and female, e.g., admission policies, scholarsh ip
policies, training guidelines should be reviewed. Both male and fema leshould have an access to resources, i.e. information, tra ining,technology, credit.
E. Equal Representation in Public Affairs (NGO, Bureaucracy, Electoral
Politics, Business) and Enhanced Participation
Provide opportunities for women to track their careers in thebureaucracy, business and in the NGOs.
Encourage women to enter electora l politics.
F. Women’s Roles and Contribution Visible, Valued & Recognized
Make women affirm themselves as nurturer, mothers and producers.
Recognize the role of women as farmers, fisherfolk, traders, self
employed, employers.
Women have proven themselves to be creative, versatile,
intelligent, enterprising and hardworking. They can be self-propelled,
self-directed and can handle multif arious jobs, accept cha llenge wit h“tact”, initia te savings and utilize resources efficiently, and excel inmusic, enterta inment and the arts.
Women can be active in the fie ld of science and can involve
themselves in environmenta l protection, liveli hood projects, continuing
education and community work.
G. All Forms of Violence Against Women EliminatedMake women realize th a t domestic violence is a socia l concern andnot just a personal matter/problem and th a t they are entitled tohe lp/assistance.
All forms of violence against women are human rights viola tion.
Domestic violence stems from unequal power relations between men
and women, parents and children.
Consider existence of gender bias in the courts.
Source: Based on DepEd (2000)

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

33

The GAD Program through DepEd Memorandum No. 19 (2004) guides thetraining of personnel undertaken by the Staff Development Division-Human
Resource Development Service. Section 2 of the memorandum states that theobjectives of the program are to:a. Eliminate gender stereotyping in textbooks and instructional materials;b. Raise gender awareness among the participants enabling them to be morecommitted and responsive to equality;c. Facilitate the concept of mainstreaming gender concerns in accordancewith the provisions of RA 7192 (1992) [Women in Development andNation Building Act];d. Identify the different forms of violence against women and how toprevent them;e. Assess the status of the GAD programs in the region; andf. Develop a monitoring scheme in the different levels to sustain GAD
advocacy efforts.
The laws on women and DepEd memorandums are very clear in their objective ofpromoting women’s rights. Executive Order 348 even mandated that 5% of theannual budget of every government agency should be allotted to promotewomen’s rights, specifically women’s role in development. The framework inpromoting gender-fair and gender-sensitive curriculum has also been laid down.
There are two concerns left ambiguous however: the process of implementing the
program in the field and its sustainability. There is no consistent mention ofmonitoring and evaluation of the programs, and there is no designation of
specific personnel who will handle them. These provisions are crucial in checking
accountability for program implementation.
Children
The DepEd in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
launched the program on Child-Friendly School System (CFSS) in 1999 under thePhilippine Fifth Country Programme for Children (CPC V) in support of
Education for All.
UNICEF provides technical assistance in improving classroom lessons andmanagement, accessing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, andfacilitating genuine children’s participation in school concerns.
The program covers the continued establishment of multigrade schools in
depressed, deprived and underserved provinces in the Philippines.
Although schools with one teacher handling more than one grade has existed in
the Philippines since the 1920s, a formal multigrade system called the Multigrade
Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) was adopted in the Philippines in34

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

1993. MPPE has the objective of improving access to primary education by
providing complete grade levels in all public primary schools through theorganization of multigrade classes. It also aims to improve quality by increasingteachers’ abilities to work with more than one grade simultaneously throughtraining and instructional materials. It legitimized multigrade teaching as anational strategy to improve access to and quality of school in all areas of thecountry. (Chesterfield, et al., 2005) Under the DepEd-UNICEF partnership,training on teacher-friendly school system for CFSS coordinators and schoolheads is also undertaken for those in CFSS schools. (DepEd Memorandum 319,
2005)
The Philippine National Strategic Framework Plan for Development for Children
or Child 21, adopted in 2000 (Executive Order 310), provides an over-all policy
guide for programs on children. It is a road map for the national government aswell as for local government units, private initiatives and NGOs in setting
priorities for action and in allocating and utilizing resources to promote the rights
of Filipino children. It aims to synchronize family, community, and national
efforts towards the full realization of the rights of children by 2025. Under this25-year road map, a medium-term plan (National Plan of Action for Children,
2005-2010) was adopted in October 2005. The goals and targets of the medium
term plan are "aligned with global frameworks e.g. Millennium Development
Goals, World Fit for Children, EFA..."Child 21 also presents strategic and programmatic frameworks that include
cross-sectional strategies, as well as individual sectional program goals andstrategies. The major goals of every program (health, education, protection andparticipation) are outlined. These are the road signs or milestones set forth forthe medium and long term periods, based on the development stages andevolving capacities of the child (from the prenatal to adolescence period).
(Council for the Welfare of Children)
Being premised on human rights instruments particularly the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, Child 21 aims to make children, not only protected, but alsoable to genuinely engage and actively participate in decision-making processes
and governance.
Its emphasis on school-community relationship under the child-friendly school
concept, alongside the promotion of child rights in the schools, provides a goodavenue for human rights education.
Indigenous children
In support of the constitutional provision on indigenous peoples, a law wasenacted in 1997 to protect and promote their rights. The law, known as "TheIndigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997" or IPRA restates the State policy of

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

35

recognizing its "obligations to respond to the strong expression of the ICCs/IPs[indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples] for cultural integrity by
assuring maximum ICC/IP participation in the direction of education, health, aswell as other services of ICCs/IPs, in order to render such services more
responsive to the needs and desires of these communities."
The law provides that the State "shall guarantee the right of ICCs/IPs togovernment's basic services which shall include, but not limited to water andelectrical facilities, education, health and infrastructure."
On education, two relevant provisions state:
Sec. 27. Children and Youth.- The State shall recognize the vital role ofthe children and youth of ICCs/IPs in nation-building and shallpromote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual andsocial well-being. Towards this end, the State shall support all
government programs intended for the development and rearing of thechildren and youth of ICCs/IPs for civic efficiency and establish suchmechanisms as may be necessary for the protection of the rights of theindigenous children and youth.
Sec. 28. Integrated System of Education.- The State shall, through theNCIP [National Commission on Indigenous Peoples], provide acomplete, adequate and integrated system of education, relevant to theneeds of the children and young people of ICCs/IPs.
The DepEd project for indigenous peoples education under TEEP relates to these
legal provisions. The project recognizes the "fact that these [indigenous] pupils
suffer from absenteeism, drop-out, poor academic performance, failure and evenfounded or unfounded prejudice. The academic performance of schools weresaid to have been usually pulled down by the performance of the … [indigenous]
pupils." (Quijano, 2004)
To support the development of education program for indigenous peoples, theMedium Term Philippine Development Plan - 2004-2010 provides a set ofundertakings to realize the indigenous peoples' right to cultural integrity, social
justice and human rights, and the right to self-governance. The Plan provides thatthe DepEd, NCIP and other concerned institutions have to:
1. Develop and promote a curriculum that will preserve the cultural
heritage of the indigenous cultural communities/peoples;
2. Produce instructional materials and train the teachers in IP schools
on the use of and requirements of the indigenous curriculum;
3. Include IP materials/documents in public libraries to permit
information sharing/exchange between cultures; and36

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

4. Accommodate IP students in all programs for children/students,
e.g. [Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private
Education] GASTPE, health and nutrition, arts and school sports
and their teachers in in-service training programs. (MTPDP 2004)
Subsequently, DepEd issued in 2004 an order regarding permit to operate
primary schools for indigenous peoples and cultural communities (DepEd Order42). This order allows flexibility in registering indigenous schools, and thus
facilitates their mainstreaming into the education system.
The government policies relating to indigenous children clearly emphasize thepromotion and protection of their rights, and identify the education system as animportant avenue to achieve this objective. In this context, education on therights of indigenous peoples should be seen as inherent component of thepolicies.
HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION POLICIES IN THE PHILIPPINESThe first major government policy on human rights education was issued under
the so-called "Freedom Constitution"; a provisional constitution meant to govern
a transition government established after the Marcos government fell in 1986. The
then President, Corazon C. Aquino, issued on 4 July 1986 Executive Order No.
27 entitled "Education to Maximize Respect for Human Rights."
Eleven years later, then President Fidel V. Ramos issued Proclamation No. 1139
on 10 December 1997 declaring 1998 as “Human Rights Year in the Philippines”
and the period 1998-2007 as “Human Rights Education Decade.”
Executive Order No. 27 requires the integration of human rights education into
the curriculum while Proclamation 1139 provides the mechanism for thispurpose. Bridging these two executive issuances is the Philippine Human Rights
Education Decade Plan, 1998-2007 (Philippine Plan). This is the first national
plan on human rights education that covers formal and non-formal education
systems in the country.
Executive Order No. 27
Executive Order No. 27 of 1986 is significant for providing an explicit legal basis
for the integration of human rights education into the curriculums of "all levels of
education and training in all schools in the country."
It provides two sets of human rights to be taught in schools. The first set consistsof human rights principles, and the laws and rules, relating to:• dignity and rights• torture
National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

37

•
•
•

arrest and detention
Bill of Rights
prisons and prisoners (including juvenile prisoners).

These human rights principles, according to the executive order, have to beemphasized "at all times."
The second set consists of "international conventions, agreements, declarations or
covenants on human rights which were ratified by the Philippines or to which it
is a signatory". They are meant to be included in the curriculum only if found tobe "appropriate and practicable…in consideration of the needs and capabilitiesof students at different levels."
The first set of human rights content reflects the human rights concerns at thetime of the issuance of the executive order. There was a strong hope that humanrights education would help ensure that illegal arrest and detention, torture aswell as improper prison conditions are addressed or prevented. The second list
rightly gives importance to international human rights instruments - whether they
were ratified or merely signed by the government. But their inclusion in the
curriculum is subject to the existence of appropriate and practicable conditions.
What are "appropriate and practicable conditions" have not been defined,
however, either in the executive order or any subsequent issuances of thegovernment.
The issue of human rights content should be considered resolved with theratification of a new Constitution in 1987. Constitutional provisions on humanrights namely the Bill of Rights and the "Social Justice and Human Rights"
sections constitute a comprehensive coverage of international human rights
standards. With these constitutional provisions, there is no reason for limiting
the human rights content of human rights education to few issues. Also, thePhilippine Plan shows a comprehensive set of human rights issues to be coveredby human rights education.
Executive Order 27 was directed at the DepEd (then Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sports) as well as the Civil Service Commission. The former tointegrate human rights education into the curriculum (as well as in textbooks andother teaching materials) and the latter to include human rights in civil service
examinations. The requirement of human rights knowledge in getting into the civil
service has implication for the teaching license examination, and on the teachingof human rights in pre- and in-service teacher education.
The DepEd was also ordered to consult and coordinate its work with the thenPresidential Committee on Human Rights. Under the 1987 Constitution, thePhilippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) succeeds the Presidential
Committee on Human Rights. As discussed below, the DepEd now works with
the CHR on human rights education in schools projects.
38

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

39Philippine Human Rights Education Decade Plan
In response to the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (19952004) [UN Decade], the CHR, DepEd, CHED, and Amnesty InternationalPilipinas agreed in 1996 to jointly organize a series of consultation sessions invarious parts of the country to be able to "draw out sectoral human rights
education decade plans [at] regional and national levels." The consultation
process started in late 1996 and ended with a national workshop in 1997 thatdrafted a national plan of action on human rights education. The national
workshop was attended by representatives of government, non-governmental
and academic institutions and used the regional plans of the earlier workshops indrafting the national plan. The draft national plan was adopted by thegovernment in 1997, and named Philippine Human Rights Education DecadePlan, 1998-2007 (Philippine Plan).
The Philippine Plan focuses on 8 sectors grouped into 1) women, elderly, youth
and children; 2) academe and basic education; 3) peasant, labor, overseas
contract workers and urban poor; 4) media and professionals; 5) indigenous
people and Muslims; 6) police military and law enforcers; 7) prisoners, detainees
and refugees; and 8) persons with disabilities. It aims to develop human rights
education programs in each sectoral group, including training of trainers andparalegals. For the youth and child sector, the Philippine Plan aims toinstitutionalize human rights education in all educational levels throughinformation campaign, curriculum development, tri-media campaign, workshops,
and literary/musical/ academic contests. The Philippine Plan provides thatvarious government offices, the CHR, NGOs, youth organizations, art/culturalgroups and media agencies are going to help implement this section of the plan.
Proclamation No. 1139 of 1997
The 1997 Presidential Proclamation No. 1139 is another response to the UN
Decade. It adopted the recommendations of the Philippine Plan by declaring
1998 as the "Human Rights Year in the Philippines" and the decade of 1998 to2007 as the " Human Rights Education Decade" in the Philippines. Following the
UN Decade's plan of action, and the recommendation of the Philippine Plan, theProclamation created a Human Rights Education Committee composed of theCHR, eight Departments, three national commissions, the office of the Press
Secretary, and two representatives of the private sector.
The CHR, as the Committee Chair, was expected to provide the expertise on
human rights. While the DepEd, as the Committee Co-Chair, was expected totake care of the education component. Other government offices were expected
to sensitize their respective personnel about the government responsibility topromote and protect human rights specifically regarding the groups they directly
serve.

40

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

These executive issuances provide good support to the development of humanrights education in Philippine schools. However, the viability, efficiency,
effectiveness and sustainability of human rights education programs being
supported by these executive issuances may face problems. Viable andsustainable projects need sufficient funds to support their implementation. The
implementation of the Philippine Plan could have been better ensured by aprovision in Proclamation No. 1139 on fund sources. Executive Order No. 27
does not mention the life span of the human rights education programs thatdesignated government agencies were supposed to carry out. The lack of theseprovisions raises a question on the viability and sustainability of thesegovernment issuances on human rights education.
The efficiency and effectiveness criteria for a sound policy may be gleaned fromclear mechanisms of implementation and evaluation of human rights education
programs by the government agencies.
ARTICULATION OF STATE POLICIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
IN THE BASIC EDUCATION LEVEL
In compliance with Executive Order No. 27 of 1986, DepEd issued DECS Order
61 on 9 June 1987 to provide specific measures on human rights education. It
provides thata. Human rights education should be under the Values Education
Framework;b. In addition to human rights, the “accompanying responsibilities” must
be taught;
c. Human rights lessons can be included in Civics, Culture, Geography andHistory and Social Studies at the primary and secondary levels;d. The formulation and development of instructional materials may makeuse of a CHR primer on human rights;
e. The respective DepEd bureaus for primary and secondary levels shall“prepare a suggested list of target learnings appropriate for each
grade/level and corresponding prototype teaching-learning materials
which shall serve as basis for regional initiatives in curriculum
development and evaluation;”f. The regional education officials (Regional Directors) shall “provide
leadership in the integration of human rights with the values education
programs in appropriate subject areas, the development ofcorresponding instructional materials… the training of teachers… [andin] undertaking school-community enhancing activities like slogan andquiz contests and programs. (See Appendix B)
The instruction to the Regional Directors is important in the implementation of
the human rights education program in the regions of the country. The Regional
Directors are given “leadership” role in undertaking a number of importantNational Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

41

measures on human rights education in schools. Does “leadership” mean thatsufficient authority is being provided to Regional Directors to implement
Executive Order 27 at school level? Viewed from the perspective ofdecentralized system of government, could the word “leadership” lead to apossible interpretation that the Regional Directors, being key officials at the local
level, may or may not fully support human rights education in the schools basedon their discretion?
It is also important to note that this Department Order explicitly requires theteaching of human rights under values education framework. This is probably the
first Department Order, among the series of government policy documents, whichmake this explicit requirement. Would a values-education framework for humanrights education affect the teaching of human rights in other subjects in the
curriculum?
Finally, the Department Order stresses that the development of human rights
teaching materials should be done in consultation with the then newlyestablished CHR. This is significant in stressing inter-agency approach to
implementing human rights education program.
The inter-agency approach is seen in a number of other laws and programs
related to human rights education. Initial activities from late 1980s on developing
teaching materials that integrate human rights also brought in academic
institutions and NGOs. A series of workshops resulted in prototype teachingmaterials for teacher education that were formally adopted by DepEd (DECS
Memorandum No. 180, s. 1990 - Prototype Materials for the Integration of
Human Rights Concepts in Teacher Education Courses). The prototype materials
relate to the following subject areas: Foundation of Education 1 and 2, Social
Philosophy 1 and 2, Methods of Teaching, Student Teaching, and Health
Education and Livelihood Education. An Orientation Conference of Deans andFaculty members of some teacher education institutions (as try-out schools) was
held at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City in 1998 on thematerials.
The Joint Declaration of Undertaking by the CHR and DECS on 9 December
1992 paved the way for the collaboration between DepEd and CHR on theimplementation of a number of human rights education projects. They agreed tojointly work on curriculum development, training and capability building,monitoring, research and evaluation, policy and legislative support, andcooperative programs and networking. As a result, DepEd and CHR held aseries of seminars and workshops during the early 1990s.
The DepEd-CHR collaboration continued from mid-1990s covering thedevelopment, pilot-testing, printing and subsequent revision and reprinting of
human rights teaching exemplars; the survey of teachers' human rights awareness;

42

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

the holding of forums for teachers, parents and students on human rights; andteacher training workshops.
DepEd and CHR agreed with CHED and one NGO (Amnesty International Pilipinas) in 1996 to assess the extent of the accomplishments by government
agencies and NGOs on human rights education that led to the Philippine Plan as
discussed earlier. They also led the formation of the National Human Rights
Education Committee as provided in the 1997 Presidential Proclamation No.
1139.
Finally, the National Human Rights Consciousness Week Act of 2002 establishes anational committee that prepares the guidelines for the implementation of thelaw. The committee has several Departments including DepEd as members andthe CHR as co-Chair.
The Philippine Plan prompted DepEd to issue a number of memorandums for its
implementation in the formal education sector. The memorandums deal with thefollowing:a. School-based activities - directive to schools to do activities such as
forums/symposiums, bulletin board displays, posting of streamers andposters, and poem/song/story competitions in commemoration of humanrights day. (DECS Memorandum No. 467, s. 1998: School-Based Activities toCommemorate the 50 th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
20 November 1998; DepEd Memorandum No. 458, s. 2003: National Human
Rights Consciousness Week, 3 December 2003);
b. National conference - encouragement to Regional Directors, School
Superintendents and Principals of private elementary and secondary schools
to send at least two (2) Social Studies or Values Education Supervisors
including UNESCO Associated Schools Project coordinators and advisers of
UNESCO clubs and Social Science professors in Teacher Training Institutions
to attend the “Second National Conference on Peace and Human Rights
Education”. The conference was sponsored by the Philippine Normal
University in cooperation with the UNESCO Associated Schools Project
Network (UNESCO ASPNET) (DECS Memorandum Order No. 487, s. 1998:
Second National Conference on Peace and Human Rights Education, 3 December
1998)
c. Survey of human rights awareness of teachers - survey of primary andsecondary school teachers to develop baseline data for planning a training
program on human rights education for teachers, and to serve as initialmonitoring mechanism on the integration of human rights concepts and values
in the school curriculums and the use of human rights teaching exemplars. In
2003, another memorandum was issued for a workshop among teachers toanalyze the survey results. (Memorandum on the Survey of Human Rights

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

43

Awareness Level of Elementary and Secondary Classroom Teachers , 10 August
1999; DepEd Memorandum No. 160, s. 2003: Analysis of the Human Rights
Awareness Level of Classroom Teachers and Workshop on Designing Teacher
Training Packages on Human Rights Education)d.

Teacher training - memorandums on the human rights teacher training
activities of DepEd to get the participation of education officials particularly
at the regional/field offices in teacher training activities.

DepEd requires the incorporation of human rights principles in developing
textbooks and teacher's manuals. Its 2006 guideline for content evaluation of
proposed textbooks and teacher's manuals for English and Filipino subjects is
one example. (2006 Textbook Call Guidelines for English and Filipino - Pre-Bid
Content Evaluation). The four-level content evaluation process examines the link
between content and the learning competencies prescribed by DepEd, and theinclusion of "social values" in the text, art, and photos/illustration of the
proposed textbooks and teacher's manuals. It looks for balanced "treatment ofgender in terms of roles, occupations, and contributions in the text andillustrations." It also requires presentation of "diversity of cultural, religious,
economic and family backgrounds of Filipino target learners." Its Annex 7
provides several lists of appropriate social contents relating to the nation andcitizenship, society, religion, gender and environment, among others. On social
content for "Society", one guideline states that the textbooks and teacher's
manuals should promote and show respect for "the rights of children, elderly,
differently-abled, and other vulnerable sectors of society." But only the gender
content list has a suggestion to the publishers about using a reference material on
gender-fair language. (Gender Fair Language Primer, The University Center for
Women's Studies, University of the Philippines, 1998) There could have been
more human rights principles included in the guideline.
The DepEd memorandums provide examples of implementation of the humanrights education policies of the government. It is worth noting the range ofactivities covered - from conferences to material development to teacher training.

44

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

INTEGRATION OF PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONCEPTS IN THE
2002 REVISED BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM
The Philippine formal education system is governed by the amended Education
Act of 1982 which provides the educational policies, objectives for primary andsecondary education, the rights and responsibilities of the members of the"education community" (students, parents, teachers and school officials), and thepowers and functions of the government office in charge of education matters(the then Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports). This law is now read in
relation to the provisions on education of the subsequently adopted 1987
Constitution.
The Basic Education Curriculum 2002 is the current curriculum governing public
primary and secondary schools. It reduced the learning areas from nine to five:
English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science and MAKABAYAN. The MAKABAYAN
learning area includes Social Studies, Music, Arts, Physical Education, Technicaland Livelihood Education and Values Education. Most of the entry points ofpeace and human rights concepts are in Social Studies subject. The discussion ofhuman rights concepts is not however limited to MAKABAYAN learning area.
They can be discussed in other learning areas as well.
The discussion of rights and responsibilities for each year and level can be as
follows:
A. Primary level
Grade 1 - Recognition of Rights and Responsibilities as Members of Family
Grade II - Recognition of Rights and Responsibilities as Members of theCommunity
Grade III - Rights and Responsibilities Related to Work
Grade IV- Cultural Rights
Grade V - Socio-economic and Political Rights
Grade VI - Freedom and National and Global Issues Pertaining to Rights
B. Secondary level
Year I - Rights and Responsibilities, Women’s Rights, Right to Participate
in Political Affairs
Year II-IV - Survival, Participation, Protection Rights, Economic Rights
The Social Studies curriculum focuses on rights and responsibilities of individuals
in an expanding environment. Human rights and responsibilities of individuals
are integrated within the context of the family in Grade 1, and of the community
as year level rises. For the secondary level, the discussion of rights andresponsibilities starts with the community, and expands to country and theworld at later years.
Child rights, relating to the home and family, are meant for inclusion in Music,
Arts, Physical Education, Technology and Values Education.

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

45Core values and topics as entry points for human rights concepts in the fivelearning areas for basic education (grades 1 to 10) are proposed in the following
charts (Echano and Miranda, 2003).
Chart 1. Core Va lues and Topics as Entry Points for Human Rights Concepts in Basic
Education
CORE VALUES
Wi l l to Discover the Truth and Good
Discovery

Appreciation of One’s Strength andWeaknesses

Self-Discipline
Ways of Acknowledging Belief in God

46

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

TOPICS
Grade I – Love for Knowledge
Grade V – Wise and Rightful use of
Knowledge
Grade VI – Knowledge for Progress
Grade I – Self-Awareness
Grade II – One’s Strength andWeaknesses
Grade III – Developing One’s Potentia land Abilities
Grades I and II – School Rules
Grade I – Fait h in God
Grade II – Respect for Place of Worsh ip
Grade III – Respect for One’s Religion
and Beliefs
Grade IV – Abundant Blessings from God
Grade V – Living in Accordance with
One’s Belief
Grade VI – Appreciation of Godly Deeds

CORE VALUES
Respect for Each Other as Persons

Concern for Others in Different Ways

TOPICS
Grade I – Respect for Parents, Elders andOther Members of the Family
Grade II – Respect for Fellow Children
and School Officia ls
Grade III – Respect for Officia ls andAuthorities as Members of theCommunity
Grade IV – Respect for People’s Right toOwnership
Grade V – Respect for Human Rights
Grade VI – Respect for Law, Authority
and Freedom
Grade II – Concern for Others, School
and Community
Grade VI – Concern for People in Need

Source: Based on Echano and Miranda, 2003, www.hurights.or.jp/hreas/7/03Philippine.htm

Chart 2. Core Va lues and Topics as Entry Points for Human Rights Concepts in Civics
and Culture (Grades I-III) and Geography, History and Civics (Grades IV-V I)
Subjects
CORE VALUES
Different Ways to Maintain Peace

Helping One Another for the Goodof the Majority

CORE VALUES
Awareness on the Culture of OtherCountries

TOPICS
Grade II – Happy and Peaceful Community
Grade III – Concern for Others for a
Peaceful Environment
Grade IV – Respect for Culture Toward
Peaceful Living
Grade V – Cooperation Towards Peace
Grade VI – Solving Crisis Towards Peace
Grade I – Family Solidarity
Grade II – Cooperation in the Community
Grade III – Cooperation in Groups
Grade IV – One Country, One Mind
Grade V – The Rule of the Majority
Grade VI – Love, Cooperation andHelpfulness

TOPICS
Grade I – Equality among Men in the
Universe

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

47

Grade II – Respect for People All over theWorld
Grade III – Respect for One’s Beliefs,
Opinions, Customs and Traditions
Grade IV – Respect for Other Countries’
Contribution to Philippine Culture
Grade V – Awareness of our Cultural
Contributions to Other Countries
Grade VI – Spreading Peace andCooperation
Chart 3. Core Va lues and Topics as Entry Points for Human Rights Concepts in Music,
Arts and Physica l Education Subjects
CORE VALUESTOPICS

Respect for One’s Culture

Grade IV – Cultural Heritage

Chart 3 shows that Music, Arts and Physical Education promote the value ofrespect for one’s culture and the same can be related to the right to culture.
Chart 4. Core Va lues and Topics as Entry Points for Human Rights Concepts in Home
Economics and Livelihood Education (Grade IV-VI)
CORE VALUES
Positive Self-Awareness

TOPICS
Grade IV – Self-Confidence
Grade V – Membership in Different
Organizations
Grade IV – Concern for the Sick andDisabled; Concern for the Old
Grade V – Concern for Fellows in Times of
Need
Grade IV – Commitment to Labor
Grade V – Honor and the Dignity of Labor

Concern for Others for the Good ofMajority

Attitude for Labor

Chart 5. Human Rights Concepts Across Learning Areas in the Secondary Level
Year
Level
1st
Year

48

EnglishFilipino

Science

Makabayan

Mathematics

Do I stepon therights ofothers?

Government oflaws

Conservation of
soil,
forest andwild life

Mga
Karapatang
PantaoFocus: HumanrightsNote: In th isarea,cooperative andinteractive
learning is

Citizens andthe laws

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

Democracy andfreedomfor thenext
generation- h istory- causes- forms of
viola tion
-prevention- case studies

Prevention of
ecologica lproblems

Current issues
and concerns in
Asia
Focus: Humanrights- h istory- causes- forms of
viola tion
- prevention- case studies

Human rights –a cha llenge todemocratic
process
Religion as a
right

2nd
year

Be ingconcerned about
people’srightsNa tionalism
andindependence
Environment
and progress
Neocolonia lism inAsia

employed toeffectively
deliver thecontent.
Members of theteam/groups areencouraged toexpress freely
their ideas,
opinions, andviews on matterof concern.
Respect for said
expression ismonitored.
In other words,
application of
the knowledge
learned onhuman rights
can be found in
th is and otherlearning areas
as well.

Na tionalism in
Asia

Year
Level
3 rd
Year

EnglishBreaking down walls
Reconciling
contradictions

Science

Makabayan

Importance of controllingrates of reaction intechnology

Human rights concerns
in the global scenario
Focus:
Conflicts- war- terrorism- racia l
discrimination- hunger- case studies

Application of factors
affecting rates ofreaction in foodpreservation, fire
control, pollution,
corrosion, materia l
production, etc.
4th
Year

Making my voice heard
Learning to th ink freely

Consumers Rights
Ph ilippine setting

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

49

Education for justice- defending basic humanrights- speak ing out in defenseof others, in defense oflife- the culture of nonviolence- justice delayed is justicedenied- tempering justice withmercy
- accepting culturaldifferences- going global- laws- program and projects

Source: Echano and Miranda, Department of Education 2003

Chart 5 shows the integration of human rights concepts across learning areas in
the secondary level. The English learning area includes human rights, the conceptof culture of non-violence, interpersonal interactions, acceptance of culturaldifferences, and justice.
Human rights and peace objectives can be part of the content of stories, poems,
songs, and paragraphs in Filipino and English subjects. Science subject can use
environmental protection as entry point for human rights (such as right tohealth).
In Mathematics, with the assumption that human rights concepts and values are
already learned in other learning areas, it focuses more on the application ofhuman rights values.
The area of Social Studies explores the core concepts of human rights including
their application from the country level to Asian Region and the world. It covers
human rights concepts, history, and forms of violations, relevant laws, programs
and projects. It provides an overview of human rights.
The DepEd's Human Resource Division contributed a lot in coordinating thehuman rights education projects of the Department. It recently launched revisedteaching exemplars on human rights education for basic education levels. The
teaching exemplars were drafted through writing workshops (writeshops) andtested in classrooms before distribution to the schools. (Losaria 2003). The
teaching exemplars match the present Basic Education Curriculum.
HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

50

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

The tertiary or higher level human rights education program is not under acentralized system since each university or college in the Philippines has its own
governing board. But while they are autonomous their curriculums are based on
the standards set by CHED. Few universities have decided to play an activerole in promoting human rights education.
Human rights education at the tertiary level is visible through a mandated courseon the Philippine Constitution, the CHED memorandum, some human rights
courses offered, and the human rights centers established by colleges anduniversities.
The course on Philippine Constitution focuses on the rights and duties of Filipino
citizens and foreigners residing in the Philippines. As a mandated course allcolleges and universities are required to offer the course to all undergraduate
students. Hence, this is considered a basic course on human rights.
CHED issued Memorandum No. 31 on 16 May 1996 to all higher education
institutions (HEIs) to promote human rights education. (Appendix C). CHED
"informed and/or enjoined and/or directed" the HEIs and their officials that asa consequence of its agreement with the CHR and DepEd (MOA 1996), theyshould- “conduct HRE and training projects anent thereto, including, but notlimited to, integrating Human Rights (HR) concepts in all their curricularofferings.”- “document
their
HRE
accomplishments
andsubmitasemestral/trimestral written report to the Higher Education Regional
Office (HERO) concerned.”
The Memorandum does not mention or suggest the content, framework,
competencies and mechanism on how human rights education should be
implemented. It does not designate a responsible person in CHED for the designof human rights education program for colleges and universities. And lastly, it
does not require but merely encourages Presidents of colleges and universities topromote human rights education. All these imply that colleges and universities
may or may not implement a human rights education program. They have thediscretion to decide on whether or not to promote human rights education. They
probably decide based on whether it supports their educational thrusts, or if theheads (or a critical mass of faculty members) are supportive. These areimportant considerations behind the introduction of human rights education
program in some colleges and universities.
Following are the colleges and universities that have institutionalized humanrights education in their curriculum.
a. Philippine Normal University

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools

51

The Philippine Normal University (PNU), as a teacher training institution,
incorporated human rights education as a course in the Bachelor of Science
Program major in Social Science and Values Education and Master of Arts in
Education with specialization in Social Science Teaching since school year 19992000. Moreover, PNU has created the Center for Peace and Human Rights
Education to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights not onlyin the university but also among teachers in the field.
b. University of the Philippines
The Law Center of the University of the Philippines has the Institute of Human
Rights which promotes and advocates human rights through education, research,
publication, policy formulation on human rights protection and promotion,building database on human rights and institutionalized student participation inhuman rights projects.
c. Miriam College
Miriam College has the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) which promotes
gender-fair education as a strategy for the integration of women’s rights andgender equality and equity in college curriculum as well as in other schools.
d. Ateneo de Manila University
The Human Rights Center of the Ateneo de Manila University has the following
objectives:- To form human rights lawyers and advocates;- To make justice more accessible to victims of human rights violations;- To monitor government compliance with human rights instruments; and- To educate the public on laws and human rights.
Some law schools in other parts of the country have legal centers that provide
training to students in practical application of laws. These centers may focus onparticular human rights relating to women, children, farmers, workers, indigenous
peoples, development and environment, among others.
The human-rights-related programs and institutions in colleges and universities
can support human rights education in schools by developing materials on
human rights concepts and instruments that can be used by teachers, providing
training for them, and assisting them in actual classroom and extracurricular
activities. These roles of tertiary institutions in human rights education in schools
should be supported by appropriate CHED policies, which in turn would
complement the policy on offering human rights courses in the curriculum(Memorandum No. 31, 1996).
Conclusion

52

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools

The 1986 Executive Order and the 1987 constitutional provision are significant
policies on human rights education in Philippine schools. They provide a solid
legal foundation for the development of human rights education within theformal education system. The subsequent policy documents (in the form ofpresidential orders and proclamations, DepEd orders and memorandums,
national action plans) provide the necessary components in implementing humanrights education program at a national scale. These subsequent policy
documents, numerous and varied, show the extent of planning and work being
done to mainstream human rights education into the formal education system.
But as in any policy and program analysis, the questions on coverage andsustainability have to be raised. The 1986 Executive Order requirement for
DepEd to allocate in its budget some amount for human rights education isimportant. But the same policy document does not provide enough bases(particularly the tasks to be done) for determining the amount that should beallocated.
It was probably difficult for the government at that time to consider all aspectsof the formal education system in coming out with a policy document on humanrights education. What was then important was the requirement that humanrights should be taught in schools.
As the subsequent policy documents show, there are many more componentsthat require policy guidance including the development of the curriculum, andteaching and learning materials; teacher training, school management, extracurricular activities, parents and community (including the NGOs and local
colleges and universities) involvement in school, and support for teachers.
The role of teacher education institutions, and other tertiary institutions (colleges
and universities), in human rights education needs policy guidance too. Such
institutions should be able to strengthen their existing curriculum through humanrights education.
These components unfortunately have been dealt with on piecemeal basis. Somepolicy documents have limited timeframe and activities covered. Budgetary
support for these activities was not always provided.
At the same time, there are policies (programs and national action plans) on
children, indigenous peoples and gender issue which complement the main
human rights education policies. Their detailed programs support the teaching of
the specific rights involved, which can be the starting point for broader humanrights education programs in schools. The implementation of these policies would
significantly help human rights education in general if properly coordinated.

National Policies on Human Rights Education in Schools53

In this context, there is a need for an updated and comprehensive policy thatwould link all existing relevant policy documents into a practical network ofideas, programs, roles, and financial and human resources.
Such an updated policy on human rights education in schools must also showthat it (human rights education) supports the objectives and relates to thedifferent components of the formal education system. Human rights education
has to be defined in relation to the over-all objective of quality education. It has
to address its role in achieving teacher effectiveness, increased level of learning,
improved teaching and learning tools and processes, developed school-based
management, and increased involvement in the school of parents and thecommunity. This is needed in making human rights education an important partof the mainstream formal education system in the Philippines.

54

Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools