On February of last year, a tragedy happened in Tanay where 15 students were killed following a bus crash. This led to both CHED and DepEd to impose a moratorium on school field trips and other similar extra-curricular activities as a result.
Source: facebook.com
Now, the Department of Education has lifted the moratorium on school field trips while creating guidelines that must be followed by all public and private schools.
DepEd created additional guidelines regarding school trips
Education Secretary Leonor Briones signed DepEd Order Number 66, series of 2017, which has the following guidelines:
- Ensure relevance and alignment with the educational competencies of the Kindergarten-to-12 curriculum and the leadership development of learners.
- Uphold child protection principles and that no learner shall be disadvantaged in any form.
- Observe the safety and security protocols for all participants before, during, and after the activity.
These guidelines should make school field trips much safer for students and should help ease the minds of parents who became concerned after hearing about the accident in Tanay.
The tragedy that happened in Tanay was particularly controversial as not only were safety precautions not followed, but some of the parents also reported that their children were forced to join the field trip or else they would fail the class.
Safety for kids during field trips
Field trips are fun and are a great way for children to learn more about the world around them.
However, they can also sometimes be dangerous, especially if certain safety tips aren't followed.
Here are a few important things that parents should always follow on a field trip:
- Make sure your child knows your home phone number. If he is too young to remember, give your child a small laminated card that has your address and contact information. That way, if your child gets lost, they can give the card to someone who can help them.
- Make sure to get to know your child's teacher before letting your child join the field trip. You need to be able to trust your child's teacher since they will be the ones to keep your child safe during the trip.
- Make sure your child knows how to keep himself safe. Tell your child not to talk to strangers, and not to stray away from their group.
Source: rappler.com, thespruce.com
READ: CHED officially lifts its ban on field trips