Expulsion of 3 students allegedly due to speaking Iloko in school prompts House probe on ‘anti-student’ school handbooks Following the controversial expulsion of three students in a private school in Ilocos Norte allegedly due to speaking in Iloko during class hours, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Rodolfo C. Fariñas have filed a resolution calling for the investigation of the issue and a comprehensive review of student handbooks in private schools. Yesterday, Ridon and Fariñas filed House Resolution No. 192, which directs “the Committee on Basic Education to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the reported expulsion of three students allegedly due to speaking in Iloko inside the campus.” HR 192 also directs the Department of Education “to review student handbooks of private schools under their jurisdiction to ensure that these handbooks do not violate constitutionally protected rights and other existing laws regarding student rights.” “It is disturbing that there are still schools that follow the archaic ‘English only’ policy and punish students with expulsion for not complying with the rigid rule. Just imagine how absurd it is to prohibit students in a school in Ilocos to speak in Iloko,” Ridon said. On August 6, 2013, an online article by Ilocos Time columnist Herdy Yumul reported the story of three students who were dismissed from school for speaking in their vernacular on campus. Kleinee Bautista, Carl Abadilla, and Samuel Respicio, all Grade 8 students of Saviour’s Christian Academy (SCA) in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, were allegedly expelled from school after the school president Reverend Brian Shah, a Singaporean national, heard them speak in Iloko inside the school premises. SCA has an English-speaking policy. SCA’s student handbook under the section “Behavior on and off the campus” states: “Every student must speak English at all times within the school compound. Parents and chaperons must comply too.” The school lists “speaking in vernacular inside the campus” as a type of misconduct punishable by reprimand. Meanwhile the handbook lists “inappropriate conduct while in school uniform inside and outside the school premises” as an offense punishable by expulsion. After hearing the students speaking in the vernacular, Shah summoned the students to his office and berated them for “not respecting [his] school.” According to Yumul, Lamar Abadilla – mother of Carl Abadilla – was summoned by the school administration on July 31, 2013 with no idea about his son’s alleged offense. At SCA, principal Cristeta Pedro handed her a memo that stated: “After you have been warned by Pastor Brian Shah not to speak in Iloko, you continued to defy his order. In view of this, you are advised to transfer to another school effective today July 31, 2013.” The children, all 13 years of age, are currently exhibiting signs of trauma and depression after their expulsion from school, according to their parents. Bautista’s parents even reported that their son refuses eat and could not sleep for days. Iloko is spoken by at least 7 million Filipinos according to the 2000 Philippine Census, making it the third most spoken language in the Philippines. Iloko is the lingua franca in Ilocos Norte where SCA is located. “The SCA policy of discouraging and penalizing the use of Filipino and other native languages is degrading to the Filipino nation, and may be violating constitutional provisions relating to freedom of expression, and the Filipino language as the national language and its use as the medium of instruction in education,” Ridon and Fariñas said in their resolution. “The promotion of using the English language – even if justified on the premise that such is necessary for training for global competitiveness – should never justify penalizing the use of Filipino and other native languages. The practice of discouraging the use of Filipino and other native languages among students has and continues to impress upon our children and our youth that the use of Filipino is inferior to the use of English and, as if a crime or an offense, is worthy of being imposed with expulsion and other modes of penalties,” the solons explained. Ridon and Fariñas added that Pastor Shah and the school administration may have violated RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act for their excessive actions against the students. Shah has reportedly threatened the students and called them foul names. Following the incident, the solons said that a review of student handbooks should be done to expose other schools that may be implementing similar punitive, excessive, degrading and unconstitutional policies through their student handbooks. “Kabataan Partylist has received several complaints from students and parents regarding punitive school guidelines, which range from the strict uniform and haircut requirements to unconstitutional school rules that prohibit students from joining organizations or criticizing school administrators. The widespread implementation of these anti-student policies should definitely stop,” Ridon said.###
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:01:54 +0000
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