Legal Basis of Values Education: Pertinent Documents
As a Values Education teacher, do you know the legal basis of Values Ed in the Philippines? This article is the first part of the lesson LEGAL BASES OF VALUES EDUCATION. It focuses on the pertinent documents that provide a strong foundation for Values Education in the Philippines.
This lesson has 3 modules:
- Module 1: Legal Bases of Values Education, with 2 Lessons
- Module 2: The Moral Recovery Program (MRP) with 4 Lessons
- Module 3: Drill
Legal Basis of Values Ed #1: The 1935 Philippine Constitution
The first-ever official policy that contains statements on values education is found in the 1935 Philippine Constitution.
The Article XIV, Sec. 8, states: All educational institutions shall aim to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and vocational efficiency, and teach the duties of citizenship.
Obviously, the keywords moral character, personal discipline, and civic conscience are possibly derived from the values of the predominantly Christian people.
Legal Basis of VE #2: The 1973 Philippine Constitution
The Article XIV, Sec.4, made the following additions: All educational institutions shall aim to inculcate love of country, teach the duties of citizenship and develop moral character, personal discipline, and scientific, technological and vocational efficiency.
Legal Basis of Values Ed #3: The 1987 Philippine Constitution
Our present Constitution starts with a PREAMBLE that clearly affirms religious, spiritual, and moral values. It says:
We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.
So, the keywords for values like love, truth, peace, justice equality, are affirmed from the very start of the Constitution.
The Article II, Sec. 13 emphasizes moral and spiritual values. It says:
The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth: patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.
The Article II, Sec. 17 likewise emphasizes that:
The state shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development.
The educational policy statement in Article XIV, Sec. 3 states:
All educational institutions shall inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love of humanity, respect for human rights, appreciation of the role of national heroes in the historical development of the country, teach the rights and duties of citizenship, strengthen ethical and spiritual values, develop moral character and creative thinking, broaden scientific and technological knowledge and promote vocational efficiency.
Based on the mandate of the 1987 constitution, the DECS (Department of Education Culture and Sports) Values Education Program Framework authored by the then DECS Secretary, Dr. Lourdes R. Quisumbing, has been developed to serve as a guideline for the implementation of values education programs in the three levels of education – elementary, secondary and tertiary.
It was in 1988 that DECS, through the leadership of Dr. Lourdes. R. Quisumbing, made Values Education as an educational thrust in all the levels of Philippine education. The new Secondary School curriculum which was implemented starting the school year 1989-1990, introduced Values Education as a separate subject while values development was also integrated with all the other subjects in the curriculum.
Legal Basis of VE #4: DECS Order No. 6, s. 1988
Moving on to the next document, the content of the four-year Values Education Program, according to DECS Order No. 6, s. 1988 was focused on the development of a fully functioning human person.
It developed through four main concepts of values development such as the development of relationship skills with the self, with fellow human beings, with forces around him and with the Supreme Being.
After a few years, a new development in Values Education was seen at the start of the 21st century.
The 2002 Basic Education Curriculum provided for stronger integration of competencies and values within and across the learning areas. Values Education was treated as integral to the five learning areas: English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science, and Makabayan. Education in and for values was geared towards the learner’s self-actualization.
Besides its integration in every learning area, Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga (EP) or Values Education (VE) for First to Fourth Year was given 60 minutes/week entirely for values-processing activities that will deepen and enrich the analysis of values within and across every learning area
Legal Basis of Values Ed #5: Republic Act 10533
Another document is the Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013
As a subject, Values Ed was removed when the K-12 curriculum was implemented in 2013. This was only integrated with other subjects. (Magsambol, B. Rappler)
If you are a teacher, you definitely know the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. These domains are always taken into account when crafting lesson objectives regardless of the subject area. And values formation is integrated through the affective domain.
Legal Basis of VE #6: Republic Act 11476
To strengthen the new generation`s moral and spiritual fiber as they contribute to the building of the just and humane society, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Republic Act 11476 or the GMRC and Values Education Act in 2020.
According to this, GMRC shall be taught from Grades 1 to 6 as a separate subject with the same time allotment as other subjects and shall be integrated with the daily learning activities at the kindergarten level.
For Grades 7 to 10, Values Education will be taught as a separate subject with the same time allotment as other core subjects. For Grades 11 & 12, it will be integrated into the teaching of subjects.
According to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the Senate Basic Education Committee Chair, 2020, “The new law strengthens learners’ character development and values formation even as the basic education system enters the new normal because of the COVID-19 pandemic” (read the full article here).
And according to Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo, who chairs the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, 2020, “Through this measure the basic tenets of good manners and right conduct such as caring for oneself, giving concern for others, proper respect to people, upholding discipline and order, and cultivating sincerity, honesty, obedience, and above all, love for country will once again be inculcated in our youth” (read the full article here).
To recap, we talk about the pertinent documents as the legal bases of Values Education in the Philippines. We talked about
- The 1935 Philippine Constitution
- The 1973 Constitution, Sec 4
- The Philippine Constitution of 1987
- DECS Order No. 6, s. 1988
- R.A. 10533 (“Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013”)
- Republic Act 11476 (GMRC and Values Education Act)
If you have questions or clarification, kindly drop your message in the comment section below. Alternatively, you message Teacher Doms directly via the Facebook page.
Check previous lessons under the Legal Bases of Values Ed in the Philippines:
- Pertinent documents
- The Moral Recovery Program
- Strengths of the Filipino character
- Weaknesses of the Filipino character
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References:
Quisumbing, L. R. (1994). A study of the Philippine Values Education Program (1986-1993). International Conference on Education, 44th Session. International Conference Center of Geneva. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER, ERIC)
Kabisig People’s Movement, (1993). Filipino Values and National Development. Kabisig People’s Movement.
Values Education for the Filipino. 1997 Revised Version of the DECS Values Education Program. UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, Education Committee Project
Values Education Program
www.valueseducation.net
