The Department of Education (DepEd) is once again in hot water for a problematic module that promotes “body-shaming” - among other negative values - among students and was asked to be “accountable” for it.
Actress Angel Locsin, in a Facebook post on Sunday, Nov. 15., is asking the DepEd to “accountable” for a “mistake” found in a learning module and take the initiative to correct it.
Locsin was referring to an issue involving her as an example in a module used by students under the distance learning set-up. Earlier, photos of a Physical Education worksheet called the actress as an “obese person” went viral.
The module, which was from DepEd Occidental Mindoro, became viral for saying: “Angel Locsin is an obese person. She, together with Coco Martin eats fatty and sweet food in Mang Inasal fast food restaurant most of the time. In her house, she always watching television and does not have any physical activities.” Additionally, the module asks the students “what do you think will happen to Angel if she continues her lifestyle.”
“I don’t mind the insults. Cheap comments do not define who I am,” said Locsin. While she “intended to ignore this issue,” an official statement released by DepEd Occidental Mindoro prompted her to respond.
In an official statement dated Nov. 13 issued by DepEd Occidental Mindoro Schools Division Superintendent Roger Capa said that upon initial investigation, the said “material is not contained” in the self-learning module (SLM) developed and quality assured by DepEd Central Office.
“The said material is a teacher-made assessment for a Grade 10 MAPEH class purposely to measure specific competencies of the learning area,” Capa added.
However, DepEd’s response did not sit well with Locsin. “What bothers me most is apart from teaching incorrect grammar to the students, DepEd seems unaffected that the said teacher is teaching bad conduct and sowing discrimination among the children,” she lamented.
The actress expressed concern on the values that the said module will teach among the students.
“Anong mangyayare sa future kung ang mga kabataan ay tinuturuan ng pambabastos at pangungutya sa kapwa? (What will happen to the future of our youth if we teach them to be rude and mock others?),” she asked.
While DepEd already to express its “sincerest apology” to the concerned individuals who may have been offended or harmed by this incident, Locsin said that the “more relevant issue” is that the DepEd itself should be held accountable for the said mistake and must correct it since the future of millions of Filipino children rests on its hands.
“The said teacher should apologize to his students and all the students that read the module,” she said.
“I am fortunate that I had teachers who value good manners and right conduct. Every child deserves to have teachers like them,” Locsin said.
Capa, on the other hand, explained that assessment of the learning outcomes in a particular subject is a primordial responsibility of a teacher.
“Development of tools for such assessments is an academic freedom every teacher enjoys,” he said. “This is without prejudice to the fundamental principles of test construction which involves social content in which one of our teachers may not have met the standard.”
Regarding the issue, Capa assured that his Office had already communicated with the concerned teacher and gathered the facts. “Rest assured that this matter will be given serious attention,” he ended.