DepEd Order 31 s 2022 CHILD RIGHTS POLICY: ADOPTING THE RIGHTS-BASED EDUCATION FRAMEWORK IN PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION

DepEd Order 31 s 2022 – Alapan 1 Elementary School

To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Minister, Basic, Higher and Technical Education, BARMM
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Elementary and Secondary School Heads
All Others Concerned

The Department of Education (DepEd) issues the enclosed policy on the Adoption of the Rights-Based Education (RBE) Framework for Philippine Basic Education in order to guide DepEd and other stakeholders on the duty to respect, and protect, fulfill, and promote all children’s rights to and in education.
At the center of Philippine basic education is the child and learner. In pursuance of the holistic development of the child, the Department envisions child centered and child-caring basic education schools, learning centers, and offices, which perform their duty to respect, protect, fulfill, and actively promote the education rights of children so they may lead productive and happy lives as they participate in nation building.1

In this light, the Department issued DepEd Order (DO) No. 003, s. 2021, titled Creation of the Child Protection Unit and the Child Rights in Education Desk in the Department of Education. Pursuant to DO 003, s. 2021, the CREDe, using a child right and legal lens, is mandated to establish and strengthen the framework to realize the rights of the child in, and through, the Department. Hence, the CREDe developed the RBE Framework of the Department of Education (RBE-DepEd).
The RBE-DepEd acknowledges that children are persons with rights and active participants in their education and its design, development, and management, and not merely passive recipients of education services. It recognizes that children are rights-holders and adults are duty-bearers who have a corresponding obligation to uphold these rights. A framework for basic education in which DepEd performs its mandate to uphold the education rights of the child on the basis of legal obligations corresponding to those rights is a rights-based education.

In rights-based education, duties are a matter of legal obligation, and not merely addressing needs through provision of goods and services as a matter of preference, charity, or benevolence. Thus, the establishment and strengthening of RBE-DepEd is not only a policy choice, but an embodiment of the firm commitment, and strong resolve of the DepEd, as a duty-bearer to respect, protect, fulfill, and actively promote the rights of the child.
The three dimensions of RBE-DepEd, namely, the right to access education, the right to quality education, and the right to respect and well-being in the learning environment are indispensable, interrelated, and interdependent with each other. Thus, adhering to RBE-DepEd, with its three dimensions, not only strengthens the Department’s compliance with its legal duties and obligations to uphold the education rights of the child, but also addresses concerns in basic education pertaining to access, quality, and learners’ well-being.
The RBE-DepEd serves as a framework and lens, which recognizes that a rights based approach to education, particularly a child rights approach, is key to nurturing happy, well-rounded, and smart learners and creating a positive learning environment where learners feel safe and socially connected.

All DOs and other related issuances, rules and regulations, and provisions which are inconsistent with this Order are repealed, rescinded, or modified accordingly.
This Order shall take effect immediately upon its issuance. Its certified copies shall be registered with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) at the University of the Philippines Law Center (UP LC), UP Diliman, Quezon City.
For more information, please contact the Child Rights in Education Desk, 3rd Floor, Mabini Building, Department of Education Central Office, DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, through email at childrights@deped.gov.ph.
Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed

(Source: DepEd Order 31 s 2022 CHILD RIGHTS POLICY: ADOPTING THE RIGHTS-BASED EDUCATION FRAMEWORK IN PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION, click here)