The 1997 Values Education Framework: Legal Basis Of Values Education
This article, The 1997 Values Education Framework is the second part of the course Legal Basis of Values Education.
As we all know, values have social functions. Commonly held values unite families, tribes, societies, and nations. They are essential to the democratic way of life, which puts a high premium on freedom and the rule of law. That is why, shortly after the People`s Revolution of February 1986, the DECS (Department of Education Culture and Sports) made values education a primary thrust.
Similarly, the DECS thrust found strong support in the Philippine Constitution of 1987 in its vision of “a just and humane society,” which calls for shared culture and commonly held values such as “truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace.” (Preamble)
In the pursuit of this thrust, the DECS has embarked on a Values Education Program with the following goal and objectives below.
Its goal is: To provide and promote values education at all three levels of the educational system for the development of the human person committed to the building o “a just and humane society” and an independent and democratic nation.
The DECS Values Ed Framework has the following objectives:
Develop Filipinos who are
- self-actualized, integrally developed human beings imbued with a sense of human dignity
- social beings with a sense of responsibility for their community and environment
- productive persons who contribute to the economic security and development of the family and the nation
- as citizens have a deep sense of nationalism and are committed to the progress of the nation as well as of the entire world community through global solidarity
- manifest in actual life an abiding faith in God as a reflection of their spiritual being
The Values Education Framework, pursued at the national, regional, local, and institution levels, should be guided by the following general principles:
- It must be oriented toward the total person of the learner – mind, heart, and entire being. (Here we are talking about holistic education)
- It must take into consideration the unique role of the family in one’s personal development and integration into society and the nation. (Here, we recognize the importance of our family, where all our values begin.)
- In the school context, more important than lesson plans and any list of values are the teachers themselves who have the proper sense of values, awareness of their inner worth, and utmost respect for the person of the other. (In short, these principles focus on the learners, family, and teachers).
The Values Education Framework herein presented is based on a rational understanding or a philosophy of the human person. More specifically, it is grounded on a rational understanding of the Filipino in his historical and cultural context, supported by the Philippine Constitution of 1987.
That understanding of the Filipino as a human being in society and his role in the shaping of society and the environment may be reconstructed from the various statements of the Constitution and expressed in the following manner:
1. The human person is the subject of education
The human person is a human person learning and being taught. The human person is also the object of education: that means, he or she is at the center of the curriculum and the entire program.
And the task of education is to help the Filipino develop his or her human potential, contribute to the growth of the Philippine culture, and by taking care of the environment, and making use of human and non-human resources, build appropriate structures and institutions for the attainment of a just and humane society.
2. The human person is multi-dimensional
There is, first of all, the distinction between the person as self and the person in the community. But, in real life, these are not two different and separate aspects. The person as self grows precisely by developing his faculties in contact with the world and others in the community and by taking an active role in improving that community.
3. The human person is of incalculable value
The human person is an individual self-conscious being of incalculable value in himself or herself, who cannot be a mere instrument of society and of the state. He or She is not just body and soul juxtaposed or mixed like oil and water, but he or she is an embodied spirit.
Hence, his or her physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual well-being is recognized by the State.
4. The human person is a social being
Humans do not live in isolation but in communities with other persons-physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual like himself or herself. Therefore, humans are inevitably social.
Humans belong to a family, the basic unit of society or, in the words of the Constitution, “the foundation of the nation” as well as to a wider and more complex society of men and women. Being social, humans participate in defining the goals and destinies of the community and in achieving the common good.
5. Humans are also economic beings
Life in a community involves the concerns of livelihood, sufficiency, production, and consumption. Everyone is concerned with the `hows` of their daily lives in terms of providing food for their families and other basic needs.
6. humans are political creatures
Like other people in the world, the Filipinos have constituted themselves into a nation-state to pursue the goal of “social progress” and “total human liberation and development.”
The DECS Framework Philosophy, therefore, is grounded on the understanding of the nature of the Filipino human person, who is both the subject and object of Values education, a multi-dimensional being, an embodied spirit endowed with dignity, a social being who belongs to a family, and a creature in the world with economic and political concerns.
The DECS framework core values emerged from the understanding, the recognition, and the acceptance of the different dimensions of the human person which are: physical, spiritual, intellectual, moral, social, economic, and political.
In all of these dimensions, the supreme and overarching value that characterizes Values Education is human dignity: the value of the person is of infinite value.
From all these dimensions, the core values were determined.
- From physical dimension, the core values are health and harmony with nature.
- From spiritual dimension, global spirituality
- From intellectual dimension, truth and
tolerance - from moral dimension, love and goodness
- from social dimension, Peace and Justice, and Respect for Human Rights
- From economic dimension, sustainable Human Development
- and from political dimension, the core values are nationalism and globalism
The last things we will look into, are the VALUES closely related to these core values. Let`s find out.
In this last part of this lesson, let`s look into the VALUES that are closely related to the core values. This is according to DECS Values Ed Framework.
If you remember, we talked about the dimensions of the human person and the core values.
For physical dimension, remember? the core values are Health, and harmony with nature. Here, the related values are Holistic Health, Cleanliness, Physical Fitness, Reverence and Respect for Life, and Environmental Care.
For the intellectual dimension, the core values are Truth and tolerance. Here, the related values are Love of Truth, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Openness and Respect for Others, and Future Orientation.
For the moral dimension, the core values are love and goodness. The related values are Self-worth/Self Esteem, Goodness, Honesty/Integrity, Personal Discipline, Courage, Trust, Compassion (Caring and Sharing).
For the social dimension, the core values Peace and Justice should start from strengthening family solidarity, and Respect for Human Rights as a member of society. The related values are Respect and Love for One’s Family, Family Solidarity, Responsible Parenthood, Concern for Common Good, Cooperation, Social Responsibility and Accountability, Creative Goodwill, Fairness, Appreciation of Diversity, Active Non-violence.
For the spiritual dimension, we have global spirituality. The related values are Faith in God, Inner Peace, Religious Tolerance, and Unity of all.
For the economic dimension, our core values are sustainability and human development. The related values are Balance between Economic and Social Development, Protection of the Environment, Wise Use of Resources, Responsible Consumerism, Productivity and Quality, Economic Equity, Work Ethic, and Entrepreneurial Spirit.
For the political dimension, our core values are nationalism and globalism. The related values are Love of Country, Heroism & Appreciation of Heroes, Appreciation of Cultural Heritage, Democracy, Freedom & Responsibility, Civic Consciousness & Active Participation, Committed Leadership, National Unity, International Understanding and Solidarity, Interdependence, Appreciation of World Heritage, Cultural Freedom, and Global Peace.
So, those are the values related to the CORE VALUES. There are many of them and it will be helpful if you can remember them.
To recap, we talked about The 1997 Values Education Framework; its Goals and Objectives, the Principles and guidelines, the DECS Framework Philosophy, the human dimensions, the Core Values, and the related values.
And that`s The 1997 Values Education Framework, the second part of the course Legal Basis of Values Education (in the Philippines).
Thank you for visiting this site. AND please feel free to leave a comment or question in the comment section.
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
