In line with its efforts to better capacitate school-based Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in schools nationwide, the Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with the Stairway Foundation Inc. (SFI) and launched an e-learning course. “We firmly believe that protecting our students from the dangers the internet poses and providing them meaningful access to digital tools that let them exercise their civil, political, economic and social rights to the fullest extent possible are both imperative,” Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said during the launching of the e-learning course in commemoration of Safer Internet Day Philippines 2023. The initiative was spearheaded by the DepEd Learner Rights and Protection Office (LRPO). The e-learning course is composed of at least five-hour video lessons, subdivided into 15- to 30-minute discussions of identified significant topics, and can be accessed through [https://www.deped.gov.ph/e-learning-courses/](https://www.deped.gov.ph/e-learning-courses/). It was created to enhance the knowledge and awareness of participants on various child protection concerns that learners might face, and build familiarity and awareness of the various DepEd policies and issuances pertinent to child protection. LRPO Officer-in-Charge Suzette Gannaban-Medina also expressed hope that DepEd’s regional office focal persons, school division office focal persons, and school Child Committee Protection members nationwide will benefit from the initiative. The e-learning course can be accessed on DepEd’s LRPO website and will be redirected to SFI’s e-learning platform. “Let us remember that the safety of our learners—both online and offline—is our shared responsibility,” Gannaban-Medina said. Moreover, DepEd noted that the asynchronous training also aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of school-based CPCs and enhance their awareness of how to handle child protection concerns. A pilot run was conducted from Dec. 16, 2022, to Jan. 31, 2023, with 146 CPC members from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao completing the course. Duterte lauded the LRPO for fulfilling its mandate of “giving quick aid to learner victims and supporting” the DepEd’s current intervention mechanisms and care coordination. During the event, Undersecretary for Operations Revsee Escobedo also stressed that “to dedicate one’s life to child protection is to become a wall that separates children from cruelty, to be the arms that embrace them in times of uncertainty, and the hands that guide them towards a brighter future.” RELATED STORY: [https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/25/deped-reiterates-commitment-to-providing-safer-internet-space-for-filipino-learners/](https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/25/deped-reiterates-commitment-to-providing-safer-internet-space-for-filipino-learners/)