ACCORDING to the Department of Education, teachers should remain apolitical and cannot express political opinions. Huh? DepEd should be reminded that teachers do not lose their right to express their political opinions and in fact, it is their duty to teach their students critical thinking which can never be apolitical.
Teachers mold human beings capable of critical thinking and determining what is right and what is wrong. Teachers should be able to teach their students the importance of staying updated with what is happening in the country, relating with others and doing something to be catalysts for change. Saying that teachers should remain apolitical is like saying they should be robots who in turn mold robots that do not care about what is happening in our society.
Silencing our teachers would also mean teaching the youth to remain ignorant and misinformed.
Despite being government employees, teachers should not be robbed of their freedom to express their views, opinions and support for or against candidates, or sitting government officials. According to the Commission on Elections and the Civil Service Commission’s Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2016, “expressing one’s views on current political problems or issues” cannot be deemed as a partisan political activity.
DepEd secretary Leonor Briones saying in an interview that teachers are not allowed to express their views on social media is the complete opposite of what our laws allow teachers and other government employees. Why is the DepEd keen on silencing the voices of our teachers?
Teachers should not and cannot remain apolitical especially amid the attempts of historical revisionism and the worsening culture of impunity in our society. Teachers lead by example by standing up for their rights, expressing their views and opinions and being catalysts for change. They mold critical thinkers, not a generation of brainwashed robots. What is the use of memorizing names of national heroes, important historical dates in the calendar, equations, math formulas and codes if the youth would not know how to use these knowledge to help advance our society?
Critical thinking is needed to further human knowledge. The study of history is important to learn from the mistakes of the past. Making guided analysis to be able to properly decide on things we do everyday cannot be taught by memorization, identification and multiple choice.
Teachers are political beings and have the right to choose and support candidates who would bring out the better platform of government that would change the status quo and better lives for them and the Filipino people.
To blindly obey, simply accept everything without question and to blindly follow an emerging dictator even after thousands of lives have been killed, the livelihood of millions of Filipinos destroyed with the failed pandemic response and the worsening health, economic and education system amid a pandemic sounds more like what they connote as brainwash.
