To support all of its personnel and stakeholders to be constructive and to respect, protect, fulfill, and promote the rights of the child in the context of basic education, the Department of Education (DepEd) vowed to implement the Rights-Based Education (RBE) framework in its policies, plans, programs and other activities.

Inspired by international models and adapted by the Child Rights in Education Desk (CREDe) under the Office of the Undersecretary for Legal Affairs (OULA), the RBE employs the child rights approach, which recognizes children as active participants in their education.

“We in DepEd take this opportunity to articulate and reiterate that the Department embraces rights-based education and the creation of CREDe and the CPU is a step forward in articulating and strengthening rights-based education,” Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said.

RBE was also introduced during the 3rd National Summit on the Rights of the Child in Education last month.

“Given the place of rights to and in education, and the corresponding obligations in the Philippine legal landscape, a framework for rights-based education in DepEd is not only desirable, but necessary,” Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Atty. Josephine Maribojoc noted during her presentation of the framework.

The RBE of DepEd shifts the usual two-dimension view of basic education to a three-dimensional rights-based education, which includes not only the right to access to education and the right to quality education, but also the right of children and learners to respect in the learning environment.

This latter dimension covers the right to identity and non-discrimination, the right to be heard and to participate on matters affecting children and learners, and the right to protection against violence and abuse, among other rights.

“These three dimensions are interdependent and indispensable,” Maribojoc said.

“RBE necessitates that the broad range of the rights of a child in these three dimensions in the context of basic education are respected, protected, fulfilled, and actively promoted by the duty-bearer including DepEd,” she added.

The 3rd Summit also highlighted the commitment of DepEd partners in upholding the rights of the child in basic education through a whole-of-school, whole-of-DepEd, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society approach.

Meanwhile, Save the Children, one of the DepEd’s partners in the summit, also commended the agency for its efforts to protect the rights of children.

“We firmly believe that education is right that all children should have, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, location, disability, or status in life,” Save the Children Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alberto Muyot said.

Stairway Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Lars Jorgensen also congratulated DepEd on the creation and establishment of the Child Rights in Education Desk and the Child Protection Unit (CPU) noting that initiatives such as this will “further strengthen and uphold the protection of children’s rights.”

Through the OULA, CREDe, and CPU, DepEd said that it continued to work with the various offices in the Department and external partners to implement the RBE framework in developing its policies, plans, programs and activities.