Solon says DepEd order ‘gags’ teachers online, offline

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT party-list on Friday decried the newly issued Department of Education (DepEd) directive which she said was tantamount to violating the freedom of speech of teachers and school personnel.

Castro was referring to DepEd Order 49, a set of policies recently released by the department to promote professionalism in the delivery of basic education programs, which includes reminders to avoid relationships and social media interactions with learners outside the school setting.

The directive also cautioned school personnel from "disparaging" the department, stressing the need to be mindful of the reputation and honor of the organization.

"Why does the DepEd feel the need to create such an order that gags and threatens teachers and education support personnel which treats them as mere creatures only of the school and dehumanizes them preventing them to exercise their right to free speech, expression, to organize and be able to voice out their grievances?" Castro said in a statement.

“Mas dapat sigurong pagtuunan ng pansin ng Department of Education ang napakalaking problema sa mga kakulangan sa mga paaralan, ang kakulangan ng sapat na suporta ang mga guro at lumalalang krisis sa edukasyon kaysa maglabas ng isang department order na bubusalan ang mga guro,” Castro added.

(DepEd should instead focus on addressing the shortage of classrooms, the lack of government support for teachers and the worsening education crisis than seeking to muzzle them.)

Castro noted that Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and Republic Act 7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 are in place to guide teachers on how they should conduct themselves.

The lawmaker said that if only the Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte is willing to reach out to teachers and hear their struggles, she would see that the teachers are very dedicated to improving the quality of education and their work to be able to serve the country the best that they can.

"Teachers are one with the rest of their communities in talking about, deciding, and shaping all matters even those outside of the school. If the education department insists on gagging its employees online and offline and prevents them from relating to others on things, not about the school, what else is left of them?” Castro pointed out.

“Teachers are part of our society. They are humans who should be able to exercise critical thinking, they should not be treated as robots and blindly follow the state-sanctioned 'truths' of the administration," she added.

GMA News Online has reached out to DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa for comment and will publish his response as soon as it becomes available.—LDF, GMA News