Marcos wants schools in PH to be 'no-bully zones'

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Thursday that the schools in the country should be ''no-bully zones,'' noting that school facilities should be a safe space for students.

''Every school will steadfastly stand as a no-bully zone; a sanctuary for diversity, a resource center for teens, a psychosocial first aid center, a mental health nurturer, a bulwark against the drug menace,'' Marcos said during his speech at the presentation of Basic Education Report 2024.

''A safe space for all. And most importantly, a safe space for our children. To those who cross these lines, a layer of tripwires catches them: the Learner Rights and Protection Office, Telesafe Hotline, and the Children Protection Committees,'' he added.

Marcos also urged the Department of Health to work with the Department of Education ''by strengthening health centers to support the network of school-based health facilities and dental clinics.''

Meanwhile, he said the reforms that the government has envisioned for the educational system should be showcased in the classrooms across the country.

''The gist of which is this: A learner with books on the table, a well-trained, highly-motivated, well-paid teacher in front of them, teaching a curriculum carefully curated to their needs,'' Marcos said.

He acknowledged that ''it is not easy to reboot a system with millions of moving parts that are all closely interconnected, in which the failure of one part leads to the entire ecosystem failing.''

''As your report has shown, the building blocks of a modern, responsive educational system have now been laid. It is something we have waited for for many, many, many years,'' Marcos said.

''At this juncture in our transformational journey, my instruction is simply this: Padayon! Padayon! Padayon!'' he added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News