Del Mar wants pre-school for public schools
CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City North District Rep. Rachel Marguerite "Cutie" del Mar has filed two separate bills; one institutionalizing pre-school in the public school education system and the other institutionalizing the free breakfast program of the Department of Education for day-care centers, pre-[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]schools[/COLOR][/COLOR] and elementary school children.
In the House Bill No. 25, Del Mar wants to make pre-school mandatory in all [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]public [COLOR=blue ! important]schools[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], as a separate level of education and a prerequisite to elementary schooling.
Del Mar said it is best to mold a child during his or her early years because this is the time when the child's sense of wonder is best sharpened and learning best initiated.
The proposed measure also equips the public school teachers, who are an important component of the value formation program, with proper resources, skills and [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]training[/COLOR][/COLOR] to have a uniform understanding, lesson planning, teaching strategy, approach or methodology, and evaluation.
In filing House Bill 27, del Mar said that the DepEd, in consultation with Parents-Teachers Associations, shall provide free breakfast for public school children and shall make free breakfast part of the public education system.
The free breakfast program, which shall be implemented in all public schools nationwide, shall also consist of fortified instant noodles or iron-fortified rice or fortified biscuits or any other appropriate form to address hunger primarily and malnutrition secondarily.
The amount needed to implement the measure shall be charged against the allocation of the DepEd's annual General Appropriations Act.
"House Bill 27 is the answer to the commitment of the Philippine government to the global call to eradicate malnutrition as stated in the World Declaration on Nutrition and Global Plan of Action for Nutrition adopted during the International Conference on Nutrition in Rome, Italy on December 1992," del Mar said.
Del Mar said the commitment is strengthened with the formulation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition, which aims to achieve nutrition for all Filipinos and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals on eradicating poverty and hunger.
Del Mar called for the immediate passage of the proposed measure. "The government shall endeavor to provide the conditions, to enhance the learning process in schools and attain the school children's highest academic performance level," del Mar said.
"Poor children coming to school with practically no breakfast at home cannot be expected to absorb their [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]lessons[/COLOR][/COLOR] in school while suffering hunger pangs," del Mar added.



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