COCOPEA: ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ maituturo pa rin sa private schools

MANILA, Philippines- Mas maluwag sa pribadong paaralan pagdating sa mga polisiya ng Department of Education, kabilang ang panukalang palitan ang tawag sa aralin sa Martial Law period mula “Diktadurang Marcos” sa “Diktadura” sa Grade 6 curriculum, ayon sa industry group.

Sinabi ng abogadong si Kristine Carmina Manaog, legal counsel ng Coordinating Council of Private Education Associations (COCOPEA), nitong Martes na napapailalim ang mga pribadong paaralan sa “reasonable regulation and supervision of DepEd” subalit maaaring hindi limitado sa standard curriculum. 

“Although, of course, we follow the minimum prescribed curriculum or standards ng DepEd, meron tayong certain flexibility or discretion to offer additional subjects, additional topics…na not necessarily required or offered to public schools,” aniya sa isang panayam.

“That is one way for our private schools to ensure na ang Philippine history is properly taught sa ating students.”

Sinabi nitong Lunes ng DepEd, na sinita noong weekend kasunod ng larawan ng liham sa direktibang pagpapalit ng titulo ng aralin, na proposal pa lamang ito.

Sinabi pa ni Director Jocelyn Andaya ng DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development sa isang online briefing na nilalayon ng pagbabago na bigyang-diin ang tema ng aralin.

Iginiit ni Andaya na hindi maiiwasang mabanggit si dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Sr., na nagdeklara ng Martial Law noong 1972, sa pagtalakay sa human rights violations at pagkawala ng democratic institutions sa panahong iyon.

“We maintain what the private schools think that is necessary or appropriate sa kanilang curriculum. If that particular detail needs to be retained, then we will follow kung ano yung ina-adopt na subject o curriculum ng private school,” ani Manaog.

Tinawag ng Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) nitong weekend ang DepEd proposal bilang “clear strategy of the current administration to rehabilitate the dark history of the Marcos family.” 

Samantala, sinabi naman ng Alliance of Concerned Teachers na ito ay “disservice to the countless victims of [Marcos Sr.’s] dictatorship and an affront to the pursuit of historical accuracy and truth.”

Sa kanyang briefing nitong Lunes, inihayag ni DepEd Director Andaya na mahalaga rin “for teachers to present differing and opposing perspectives and make them co-exist without erasing the other’s truth.” RNT/SA