The teacher, who allegedly “verbally abused” an elementary pupil in Camarines Norte, will be subjected to administrative proceedings, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.
“The Department of Education takes these incidents very seriously,” DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters in a Viber message on Wednesday, Aug. 24. “The teacher will be subjected to administrative proceedings in accordance with our rules,” he added.
Poa said that based on the updates that the DepEd Central Office received on the matter, the Schools Division Office (SDO) officials “already met with the parents” of the student on Aug. 23.
“During the meeting, the SDS emphasized that DepEd has a zero-tolerance policy against any form of abuse, and explained the courses of action to be taken against the subject teacher,” Poa said.
Jeannie Vargas, in a Facebook post on Aug. 22, shared a “traumatic” experience of a student during the first day of classes.
The grade 5 student, who was allegedly called “bobo” (dumb) and “hayop” (animal) by a teacher, reportedly refused to go back to school following the traumatic incident.
As soon as it went viral, Poa said that the SDO already “contacted the author of the post” to look into “what really transpired.”
Poa said that the School Head was also directed to submit an incident report --- along with the Child Protection Policy Intake Sheet --- to the Regional Director “within 72 hours from the occurrence of the incident.”
Following the incident, Poa said that psychological first aid was “immediately given to the learner” by trained personnel from the school health section. The psychosocial status of the learner, he added, will also be monitored.
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