The Department of Education has allocated at least P100 million to support a program on bullying prevention, values formation, and learner support. Undersecretary Fatima Panontongan issued DepEd Memorandum No. 2 on January 9 outlining the guidelines for implementing the Kaagapay Program. It aims to empower the school community to address bullying and foster safe learning environments.
On January 9, Undersecretary Fatima Panontongan issued DepEd Memorandum No. 2 to outline the implementation guidelines for the Kaagapay Program, which seeks to empower the school community in tackling bullying. Panontongan stated, "The program supports parents, guardians and caregivers of public school learners in strengthening home-based learning and complementing classroom instruction, encouraging positive discipline and promoting safe, nurturing and inclusive learning environments."
The initiative reinforces the educational, behavioral, and socio-emotional goals outlined in the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum, encompassing homeroom guidance, Good Manners and Right Conduct, and Values Education. It also focuses on raising awareness and providing tools to prevent, identify, and address bullying and related issues through partnerships with schools and local child-protection systems.
The DepEd emphasizes that learners' holistic development demands collective action. "It recognizes parents, guardians, caregivers and those entrusted with the responsibility for the upbringing of a child-learner as indispensable co-educators, whose daily interactions with children shape literacy, numeracy, values and attitudes toward learning long before and after formal instruction," the agency noted.
This effort aligns with the DepEd's broader goal of creating supportive and inclusive spaces for public school students.