President Rodrigo Duterte recently just signed the GMRC bill into law, which requires the Good Moral and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values subjects to be taught in school beginning from kindergarten to senior high school, replacing the current Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao curriculum.
Moreover, the new law says that it must be in the daily learning activities in the primary level.
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According to the new law:
GMRC shall be taught from Grade 1 to 6 as a separate subject with the same time allotment as other subjects, and shall be in the daily learning activities in the kindergarten level."
GMRC Bill into Law is "Timely"
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of the bill in the Senate, stated that the passing of GMRC bill into law is just in time.
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The signing of the GMRC and Values Education Act is really timely. I hope the Department of Education can work on the [implementing rules and regulations] in time for the opening of classes come August.”
Furthermore, Zubiri claimed that the GMRC bill into law is vital due to the distance learning that schools across the country will be implementing, therefore calling for further guidance.
With many schools set on implementing distance learning, it’s going to be even more vital that we give our students formative guidance through GMRC and Values Education.”
DepEd Welcomes the GMRC Law
The Department of Education (DepEd) said on Friday that it will embrace the return of the GMRC subject; after its removal seven (7) years ago from the basic curriculum.
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The DepEd claims that they are seeing the role it will play in these critical times.
We value the vital role [Republic Act No. ] 11476 will play in strengthening our youth’s decision-making skills, attitude and behaviors, especially in these critical times.”
It added that with the new law, “and our nation’s aspiration to guide our youth to the right path,” it was looking forward to “raising more Filipinos who are ‘maka-Diyos, makatao, makakalikasan at makabansa,’” quoting the Philippine patriotic oath.
Zubiri, the principal author of the bill, said that he is hoping that this law would serve the students well; especially that education will need to continue online.
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We didn’t anticipate that the world would basically grind to a halt, and all our interactions would move online. So the passage of this act is quite timely, and I hope it serves our students well.”
GMRC as a Formative Guidance to Students
Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said the DepEd would have to investigate the particular concepts of the GMRC law as well as existing learning competencies.
The undersecretary claimed that they may have time to accommodate newly mandated concepts under the GMRC law as the first quarter come to an end.
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Considering that learning resources for the first quarter are almost done, we may be able to adjust what will be in the succeeding grading periods to accommodate newly mandated concepts under the GMRC law.”
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on basic education. He also gave praise to the President for signing the GMRC bill into law; he said we need it so that students will receive proper guidance while exposed to social media and other distractions.
Stronger GMRC Program
Gatchalian stated that kids will be at home all day which calls for a strengthened GMRC and Values Education program that will compensate not having to go to school.
The kids are going to be at home all day, learning in isolation from their peers. They’re not going to have the natural avenues for empathetic learning that springs from face-to-face interaction with their peers and with their teachers. Hopefully, a strengthened GMRC and Values Education program will make up for that.”
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Gatchalian said the law would also be able to address the teachers’ lack of expertise in teaching Values Education; noting that 70 percent to 90 percent of teachers dealing with the subject don't actually have the certification to teach GMRC.
The law will lay out options to teachers with certification, diploma, and training on Values Education and allied disciplines, Gatchalian said.
Do you agree that the passing of GMRC bill into law is timely? Moreover, will this strengthen the empathetic abilities of the Filipino youth or not?
Before, we knew the impact of GMRC, even the basic values education. With the difference in the culture and what we're experiencing now, do you think it'll be effective and efficient? In addition to that, is it going to be helpful in our time now?
Source/s: The Philippine Daily Inquirer
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