With its primary objective to educate and nurture well-rounded, bright, and happy children, the Department of Education visualizes that all personnel and leaders in all governance levels participate in promoting, protecting, respecting, and fulfilling children’s rights. With that said, the department issued the DepEd Order 31, series 2022, to realize and uphold all children’s rights and access to quality education, whether in its offices, learning environment, or community.
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It led to the creation of Rights-Based Education (RBE) to ensure children’s best interests, respect their views, survival, and development free from discrimination. As duty-bearers, implementing the policy framework will bolster the department’s actualization and accountability of its task to ensure the rights of a child to quality education. That’s why DepEd offices in all governance levels and other stakeholders should promulgate and enact this policy.
What is DepEd Order 31
On June 27, 2022, the Department of Education circulated the DepEd Order (DO) 31, series (s.) 2022. This policy enclosed the “Child Rights Policy: Adopting the Rights-Based Education (RBE) Framework in Philippine Basic Education.” It will guide DepEd and other stakeholders tasked to promote, respect, protect, and fulfill all children’s rights to and in education. In addition, this policy confirms with DO 3, s. 2021, titled the “Creation of the Child Protection Unit and the Child Rights in Education Desk (CREDe) in the Department of Education.”
The CREDe utilizes the rights and legal lens of a child. It is authorized to form and reinforce the framework, which will help realize children’s rights in and throughout the department. Thus, CREDe established the RBE Framework of the Department of Education (RBE-DepEd). This framework will acknowledge that children have rights and actively participate in their education, from its design, development, and management. In short, children are not passive recipients of education services. Hence, adults must uphold the education rights of children.
Child Rights Policy: Adopting the Rights-Based Education Framework in Philippine Basic Education
Scope
DepEd Order 31 provides a comprehensive framework to help realize children’s rights in education and through the department. All governance levels of DepEd should adhere to this policy, including the Central Office, Regional Offices, School Division Offices, public schools, community learning centers, and other stakeholders collaborating with the department. Meanwhile, DepEd encouraged private schools to follow and apply the RBE framework policy by aligning it with their plans, activities, programs, and processes.
The Rights-Based Education Framework of the Department of Education (RBE-DepEd)
RBE-DepEd provides a united and integrated framework and lens to guide DepEd and other stakeholders in formulating, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, reviewing, and organizing policies, activities, plans, and programs that will promote, respect, protect, and fulfill the three substantive dimension of rights in education. Hence, this policy applies the following child rights approach:
- Consider children as active agents of education services and not passive recipients
- Promote the realization of children’s rights as stated in the 1987 Constitution and other domestic and international rules and laws
- Use child rights standards and principles from the 1987 Constitution and other domestic and international laws and rules
A. Three Substantive Dimensions of RBE-DepEd
Right to access education
Every child has the right to an education that is accessible, available, and inclusive for all children. As stated in the 1987 Constitution, RA 10533, RA 9155, and CRC (Article 28), stakeholders should proactively follow various measures to realize the right to access education. This dimension has the following elements:
- Education throughout all stages of childhood and beyond
- Availability and accessibility of education
- Equality of opportunity
Right to quality education
As decreed in the 1987 Constitution, RA 10533, RA 9155, and CRC (Article 28), all children have the right to access quality education that will empower them to achieve their fullest potential. It will also help children develop life skills and find employment, entrepreneurship, technical education, and higher education opportunities. Additionally, education should be learner and child-centered with the following elements:
- Embrace a relevant, inclusive, and extensive curriculum
- Rights-based Learning and Assessment
- Appropriate quality learning resources
Right to respect and well-being in the learning environment
This dimension involves all children’s rights within basic education. It promotes the child’s best interest in a learning environment, aiming for optimum development. Children have the right to respect their fundamental worth and dignity with the following elements:
- Respect for identity
- Right to participation
- Right to integrity of body and mind in a safe, healthy, and child-friendly learning environment
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B. RBE-DepEd and Its Experiential Components
With the RBE-DepEd, children will learn, experience, and enjoy their rights in four (4) experiential components, which show how to provide education to every child, including:
- Learning as a right – This component refers to the RBE dimension on the right to access education. It involves the provision of compulsory, available, and free kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education. The other rights in the basic education system won’t be beneficial if the child does not enroll.
- Learning about rights – This component covers all three (3) dimensions of RBE. Child rights and human rights education must have a space in the curriculum for children, enabling them to learn about it in a structured and guided environment. Concurrently, children should experience their rights in co-curricular and extra-curricular programs.
- Learning through rights – It pertains to the two (2) dimensions of the right to quality education, respect, and well-being in the learning environment. This component refers to learning environment transformation and ensures children learn in schools and community learning centers regarding the rights to respect and uphold. Children learn rights through experience, knowledge, and values and by exercising them.
- Learning for rights – This component is about learning rights through rights in learning for rights. It means children actively claim their rights and promote respect for the rights of others within and beyond the learning environment. Thus, it will alter the domestic and global environment to achieve a sustainable future.
Figure 1. RBE-DepEd Substantive Dimensions and Experiential Components
C. Implementation of RBE-DepEd
The measures to implement the RBE-DepEd policy should include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Incorporation of RBE-DepEd in all policies, programs, activities, and projects
- Capacity-building of all personnel
- Human and child rights education
- Child participation in basic education management and development processes
- Creation or strengthening of Rights-Upholding Learning Environments (RULE), including Rights-Upholding Schools (RUS) and Rights-Upholding Community Learning Centers (RUCLC)
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DepEd Order 31 Full Memo Download
To access and download the complete PDF of DepEd Order No. 31, series of 2022, a direct link is available on this page. By clicking the download button below, you can easily obtain a copy of DepEd Order 31 in PDF format.
Full PDF DepEd 31 memo file: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DO_s2022_031.pdf
Video: Rights-Based Education (RBE) Framework for Philippine Basic Education DO 31 s. 2022
As discussed in the video, DepEd Order 31 is about the Child Rights Policy, where the Philippines’ basic education system adopts the Rights-Based Education (RBE) framework. DepEd issued this policy to promote, protect, respect, and fulfill all children’s rights, from education and within the department. The policy also includes other DepEd Orders that cited the implementation of the rights-based approach. Therefore, this policy will acknowledge, promote, and guarantee children’s rights and well-being.
Summary
In summary, the department’s personnel from all governance levels should comply with DepEd Order 31 from the Central Office, Regional Offices, and School Division Offices. Officers and employees of public schools and community learning centers should observe this policy, as well as other stakeholders working with DepEd. Furthermore, this policy will promote, protect, fulfill, and allow children to enjoy accessible quality education and respect their well-being in the learning environment. Thus, all DepEd personnel and stakeholders in education are encouraged to conform and implement this policy.