Philippine students most exposed to bullying

MANILA, Philippines — The government must strictly enforce the Anti-Bully Law after the global education survey Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, which ranked the Philippines the lowest in Reading and second to the lowest in Science and Math among 79 countries, also showed that Filipino students are the most exposed to bullying, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said yesterday.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate committee on basic education, prodded the Department of Education to strictly enforce and monitor anti-bullying measures in schools.

He cited the PISA poll that showed 65 percent of Filipino high school students experience bullying “at least a few times a month,” way beyond the 23 percent average among 79 countries that joined the global survey. 

Conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, PISA said both aggressors and victims of bullying tend to skip classes, show poorer academic performance and drop out of school.

 Students who reported being threatened scored 56 points lower in Reading compared to those who had no or less frequent experiences. The study also showed that students whose peers made fun of them scored 13 points lower than those who experienced this less frequently.

Countering the prevalence of bullying should also be part of efforts to reverse the Philippines’ dismal PISA performance, Gatchalian said, as he pointed out the findings and how bullying affects academic performance.

“Recently, there have been strong calls to improve the quality of education but to be able to do this, we also must make sure that our schools are safe so our students can really learn,” he said.

One of the most effective ways to prevent bullying is through bystander’s intervention, PISA said.

Gatchalian, meanwhile, highlighted anew the importance of teaching Values Education. He recently sponsored Senate Bill 1224, which seeks to institutionalize the teaching of Comprehensive Values Education in schools, including Good Manners and Right Conduct. 

In rolling out anti-bullying measures, he said there should be emphasis on how witnesses to bullying situations can effectively intervene.