School nurses, Alternative Learning System facilitators and implementors, Islamic Studies and Arabic Language and Madaris teachers, division personnel, and other stakeholders attended the orientation on the new BARMM Child Protection Policy organized by the Education Ministry’s Sulu Division Office on October 16-25. (Alline Jamar Undikan/BIO)
JOLO, Sulu – The Bangsamoro Government is intensifying its efforts to protect the children in the region through conducting a series of orientations on the new BARMM Child Protection Policy (CPP).
On October 16-25 by the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education’s (MBHTE) Sulu Division Office conducted the orientation which aimed to ensure a comprehensive understanding on the latest policy designed to address child protection issues.
This initiative aligns with the Regional Memorandum No. 520, S. 2023 which required all Schools Division Offices in BARMM to implement the Field Cascading of Regional Order 683 also known as the New BARMM Child Protection Policy (CPP). The policy aims to promote child welfare and create a safe and protected environment for children throughout the region.
Recognizing that schools are among the primary places where violence against children can occur, the event was participated by school nurses, Alternative Learning System (ALS) facilitators and implementors, Islamic Studies and Arabic Language (ISAL) and Madaris teachers, division personnel, and other stakeholders.
Nurimfa Saning, Sulu Division Coordinator for Gender and Development/Child Protection, stressed that “RO 683 was cascaded by the region last July 29, wherein they stated that all school communities should be reached by the child protection cascading.”
Saning further emphasized that CPP takes a comprehensive approach to safeguard children from various forms of violence, abuse, and neglect, while also clarifying the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.
“The purpose is to let everyone know the importance of child protection… As a whole talaga hindi lang sa school [kundi pati na] rin sa labas,” Saning said.
[The purpose is to let everyone know the importance of child protection… not only within the school but also in the wider community.]
Field cascading of new CPP is an important step in creating awareness within the broader community about the latest legal and ethical frameworks surrounding child protection, which will ensure that children remain safe and protected at all times, thereby supporting their educational development.
MBHTE hopes that these efforts will safeguard the children’s welfare in the BARMM and underscore the policy’s importance in creating a conducive environment for education and overall development. (Alline Jamar M. Undikan/BIO)
