GRADE 6 students will be taught human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship and the administrations that followed if the draft curriculum proposed by the Department of Education for Araling Panlipunan or Social Studies subject is implemented.
The draft curriculum will introduce human rights violations committed during the dictatorship of President Marcos Jr.’s father and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos, as a subtopic under the “Challenges to Democracy and the Marcos Dictatorship” by the third quarter of studies.
Human rights violations committed in subsequent administrations will be discussed in the fourth quarter.
The current Araling Panlipunan subject does not cover human rights violations and does not mention or use the word dictatorship to describe the Marcos era, unlike in the proposed curriculum.
It also does not mention human rights violations in the post-EDSA 1986 administrations.
Aside from human rights violations, the proposed curriculum will also discuss events during the Marcos dictatorship such as the weakening of democratic institutions and an independent Congress, as well as the controversial issue on ill-gotten wealth.
For the succeeding administrations, also to be tackled under the proposed curriculum are issues and lessons on corruption, political dynasties and the role of media in society.
To recall, the draft curriculum in Araling Panlipunan for Grade 10 students includes new lessons on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) junking China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, including the WPS, under its so-called nine dash line.
Although the current Araling Panlipunan subject also focuses on contemporary issues, it does not explicitly include or mention the WPS or the arbitral tribunal ruling.
If adopted, the new DepEd curriculum will be the first time that learners in basic education will get to know and learn about the WPS and the arbitral victory.
The proposed Grade 10 curriculum also include lessons on the controversial issues of Red-tagging, extrajudicial killings, human rights violations and trolls as well as a host of gender-related issues such as same-sex union, same-sex marriage, gender-based discrimination, hate crimes due to gender, as well as local and international legislation to protect the LGBT+ community
PROGRESSIVE TOPICS
Limited teaching hours may derail the teaching of “progressive topics” if the draft for Araling Panlipunan or Social Studies subject being proposed by the DepEd as part of a revamped curriculum is implemented, a militant teachers group said yesterday.
This even as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers commended the inclusion of new topics in the draft Araling Panlipunan subject.
But the group said DepEd should lengthen the time allotted in teaching the subject from the current 40 minutes to give more time for an in-depth discussion of the new inclusions.
ACT said if the current time allotment will remain, teachers will only be able to scratch the surface in discussing the proposed topics.
“Good intentions are apparent in the introduction of new and progressive topics, however, the time constraints would only allow for shallow discussions as what is already happening in the current topics, if discussed at all,” the group said.
“It is an unrealistic target to discuss cumbersome international instruments and local laws at a very short time allotment in various grade levels,” the group added.
Araling Panlipunan is considered a minor subject under the current curriculum, while 50 minutes allotted for major subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Filipino and English.
