As it strongly condemned the act of violence in a public school in Quezon City that caused the death of a student, a group on Saturday, Jan. 21, expressed hope that the “unfortunate incident” will not be used to increase interference in schools by law enforcement authorities.
In a statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers - National Capital Region (ACT-NCR) Union expressed its “deepest solidarity and condolences” to the family of the 13-year-old Grade 7 male student who died after he was allegedly stabbed by his classmate inside Culiat High School in Quezon City on Jan. 20.
“Schools are supposed to be safe spaces for both teachers and students for learning to take place,” ACT-NCR said. “Quality education cannot occur in an atmosphere of anxiety, fear, and insecurity,” it added.
While the group noted with great concern the “unfortunate act of violence” in the school, ACT-NCR also stressed this should not be used to strengthen police forces in academic spaces.
“Consequently and in line with the promotion of schools as safe spaces and zones of peace, we hope that the unfortunate incident will not be exploited as a pretext for a blanket order to heighten police presence and interference in schools,” the group said.
Meanwhile, the group reiterated that inflicting violence against any member of the school community, whoever the perpetrators are, needs to be “condemned in the strongest terms, and actions and thorough investigation need to be taken immediately.” The group also extended its sympathy to the community of Culiat HS affected by the horrible event.
ACT-NCR thanked the School Administration for “promptly acting on the incident as they commit to take the necessary steps to provide counseling services for teachers and students” with the support of concerned offices of the Department of Education (DepEd).
As a teacher union, the group also expressed its commitment to “boost further our efforts in educating our students on the consequences of bullying and school-related violence, and intensify our efforts to foster a culture of dialogue, peace, respect for human rights and zero-tolerance to violence.”
The group noted that the emotional devastation of teachers and students could not be left unattended after such incidents.
Educators in NCR, the group added, stand with the community to “continue to do their part so that all students can enjoy safe and nurturing school environments free from bullying and violence.”
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