RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION AND VALUES EDUCATION 2014

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION AND VALUES EDUCATION

Issues / controversies regarding religious instruction

Laws Regarding Religion in Public Schools

Of all the divisive issues that can cause arguments and dissension between people, religion is
one of the most explosive.

Students are allowed to pray silently or aloud either individually or within groups as long as their
actions are not disruptive or inciting. Students may also read their Bibles during times when they are not
scheduled to participate in any other school activities. Students are permitted to wear clothing and
accessories that express their religious beliefs.

Teaching Religion

Students may not be taught religion, only about religion including the history of religion, the
Bible and other religious texts and comparative religion. The law permits students to be taught the role
of religion in the history of various civilizations

Religious Literature

It is permissible for students to give religious materials to classmates, as long as they do so at

designated appropriate places. Individuals from outside the school may not distribute religious or anti-
religious materials on school grounds.

Equal Access Act

High school students holding religious clubs must be allowed to meet and enjoy access to
campus media for the purposes of announcing their meetings if the school receives government money
and allows other non-religious clubs to meet before or after school.

Religious Holidays

Schools may teach about religious holidays and their customs, and may participate in the non-
religious aspects of religious holidays, but may not observe the holidays as religious events.

Being Excused From Lessons

Students are allowed to be excused from lessons that they or their parents feel are contrary or
offensive to their religious beliefs. If the school cannot present a compelling reason why the student
should sit through the lesson, the student will be excused. Schools must also release students to engage

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in off campus religious instruction or observations during the school day without penalizing them for
leaving.

Values
Schools are permitted to teach virtues such as honesty, citizenship, courage, respect and sportsmanship,
but are not allowed to teach these values as religious aspects.

Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom

The constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom. The law treats
intentional attacks directed against buildings dedicated to religion as war crimes or crimes against
international humanitarian law. There is no state religion and the constitution provides for the
separation of church and state.

The government permits religious instruction in public schools with written parental consent
provided there is no cost to the government. Based on a traditional policy of promoting moral
education, local public schools give religious groups the opportunity to teach moral values during school
hours. Attendance is not mandatory and the various groups share classroom space. The government
also allows interested groups to distribute religious literature in public schools.

By law, public schools must ensure that the religious rights of students are protected. Muslim
students may wear hijab (head coverings) and Muslim girls are not required to wear shorts during
physical education classes. In many parts of Mindanao, Muslim students routinely attend Catholic
schools from elementary to university level and are not required to receive religious instruction.
The Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, which embodies the governments policy framework for
national development, includes provisions for the protection and promotion of religious freedom.
The government observes the following religious holidays as national holidays: Maundy Thursday, Good
Friday, Easter, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, All Saints Day, and Christmas Day.

Government Practices

There were no reports of abuses of religious freedom.

The government did not ban or discourage specific religious groups or religious factions.

The DepEds Bureau of Madrassah Education managed local and international financial
assistance to the madrassah system. DepEd-registered schools followed the Standard Madrassah
Curriculum and received funding for teachers of the Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC) subjects
and for classroom and facility improvements.

The media reported that the Pilar College of Zamboanga, a privately-run Catholic college in the
southern Philippines, imposed a no hijab school policy. Verified reports confirmed that the schools
administrators prohibited wearing the hijab for uniformity and to avoid discrimination against
Muslims. After a series of consultations with the NCMF and other stakeholders, Pilar College decided to

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allow the voluntary wearing of hijab for the 2013 school year. The school administration, with the
support of the NCMF, undertook training to deepen understanding of the Muslim culture.

Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom

There were no reports of societal abuses based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice,
although there were some reports of discrimination and tension.
Efforts by the dominant Christian population to resettle in traditionally Muslim areas, such as
Mindanao, fostered resentment among many Muslim residents. Many Muslims viewed Christian
proselytizing as another form of resettlement, with the intention of depriving Muslims of their
homeland and cultural identity, including their religion.

Some Muslim religious leaders asserted

Young Muslim professionals reported that some employers stereotyped Muslims as being less
educated. Some Muslims reported that they had difficulty renting rooms in boarding houses or being
hired for retail work if they used their real names or wore distinctive Muslim dress. Many reportedly
resorted to adopting Christian pseudonyms and wearing Western clothing.

The constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom and, in practice, the
government generally enforced these protections. There is no state religion, and the constitution
provides for the separation of church and state.

The law requires organized religions to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission
and with the Bureau of Internal Revenue to establish tax-exempt status. There is no penalty for failing to
register, and some groups do not. There were no reports of discrimination in the registration system
during the reporting period.

The government permitted religious instruction in public schools with parents' written consent,
provided there was no cost to the government. Based on a traditional policy of promoting moral
education, local public schools gave religious groups the opportunity to teach moral values during school
hours. Attendance was not mandatory, and the various groups shared classroom space. The government
also allowed interested groups to distribute religious literature in public schools.

By law public schools must ensure that the religious rights of students are protected. Muslim
students are allowed to wear hijab (head coverings), and Muslim girls are not required to wear shorts
during physical education classes. In many parts of Mindanao, Muslim students routinely attended
Catholic schools from elementary to university level; these students were not required to receive
religious instruction.

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Prepared by:
ERICH D. GARCIA
Head Teacher III / OIC
San Esteban /Consuelo High School
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION AND VALUES EDUCATION
Issues / controversies regarding religious instruction

Issue no. 1
DepEd clarifies veil removal order for Muslim teachers

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday clarified that a recent order requesting Filipino
Muslim teachers to remove their veil inside the classroom applies only to Arabic language instructors.

Although some reacted to the order vehemently, some Muslim teachers welcomed the order, saying
that having the students see their face is particularly important in language class, and is especially
effective when teaching younger students.

What the order actually states is that teachers handling Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education
(ALIVE) are requested to remove the veil covering the face (niqab) when teaching in the classroom,
Education Secretary Armin Luistro said in a statement on Wednesday.

This is to promote better teacher-pupil relationship and to support effective language teaching since
seeing the teachers lips helps in the correct production of letter sounds, he noted.

Luistro is referring to DepEd Order no. 32 series of 2013, which reiterates DECS order No. 53, series of
2001 or Strengthening the Protection of Religious Rights of Students.

An Agence France-Presse report on Tuesday said that Muslim teachers were told to remove their veil
during lessons. However, the report failed to mention that the order was only referring to those
teaching the Arabic language.

The order states that wearing a veil covering the entire face is allowed outside the classroom, but that it
is strongly suggested that the veil be removed or partially removed (the detachable mouth and nose
cover) so that students can see the teachers mouth.

Already a practice before the order

[The order] is not a problem. Paano magbibigay ng instruction kung hindi kita ang lips. Iisipin ng bata,
ano yan, puppet o silhouette? Ano ba ang itsura ni Maam? Amanah Integrated School teacher Cecille,
who did not wish to give her full name, told GMA News Online in a phone interview.

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She explained that it is important for young students, especially the ones in kindergarten, to see the
teacher's facial expressions. Cecille added that she did not think that the order is discriminating against
Muslim teachers.

Sa aking pananaw, mas gusto ko yun [order] kasi mas effective [sa pagtuturo pag nakikita ang mukha]
pero hindi ko pinapangunahan yung iba, she added.

Even before the DepEd order, said Sultan Ismael Elementary School teacher Ominta Lantud, some
teachers who wear niqab remove the part of their veil that covers the nose and mouth so that students
can see their whole face.

May isang ALIVE teacher dito sa amin na naka-niqab pero tinatanggal niya para makita ang mukha
niya, she told GMA News Online in a separate phone interview.

Mahirap sa estudyante pag mata lang ang nakikita. Maaaring walang makinig sa kanya [guro], Lantud
added.

Respect for rights of Muslim students

The DepEd order also stresses on the religious rights of Muslim students including the following policies:
Female Muslim schoolchildren are allowed to use their veil or hijab inside campus. Muslim girls
are allowed to wear appropriate clothing in Physical Education classes in accordance with their religious
belief. Muslim students shall not be required to participate in non-Muslim religious rites.
In keeping with this Constitutional mandate, the Department of Education has issued several orders on
the mechanics of the teaching of religion in public elementary and high schools. These are DepEd Order
No. 26, s. 2002 and DECS Order No. 120. s. 1999 amending certain provisions of DECS Order No. 13, s.
1999.

The provisions of DepEd Order No. 26 (available in PDF format from the DepEd website) which enjoin
compliance with the earlier DECS Order No. 120 are the following:
1. Declaration of Policy The State shall, in conformity with the mandate of the Constitution, encourage
and promote the teaching of religion to children in public elementary and high schools within the
regular class hours. The State is cognizant of the vital role that the teaching of religion assumes in citizen
formation, particularly the modeling of our youth. Hence, the State recognizes the necessity of religious
instruction not only in the private schools but also in public schools. For these purposes, the Department
hereby provides the mechanics to enable the teaching of religion in all public elementary and high
schools in the country, fully aware that the Constitution prohibits the government from favoring a
particular establishment or religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Furthermore, the
implementation of this Order should not entail additional cost to the government.

2. Coverage This Order shall apply to all public elementary and high schools in the Philippines.

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3. Definition of terms As used in this Order, the following terms shall mean:

a. Religion an institutionalized system of beliefs, attitudes and practices.

b. Values Education the integration into the school curriculum of universally accepted as well as
Filipino human, social, moral, political, economic and cultural values.

c. Optional Religious Instruction refers to the religion classes conducted in the public elementary and
high schools for students or pupils whose parents opted to exercise their rights to request religious
instruction in public schools for their children or wards. The optional character of religious instruction in
public schools is a prerogative or choice of the parents or guardians, who are free to request or not to
request that the children under their care be instructed in the religion of their choice.

d. Regular class hours refers to the regular or normal scheduled periods of instruction or laboratory
work for a student.

e. Class period the average length of time scheduled for one session or instructional period in a course.

4. The Teachers/Instructors The religious teachers/instructors who teach religion classes in the public
elementary and high schools shall be formally sourced or recruited by the respective principal or school
heads in accordance with the corresponding request for optional religious instruction. After their
designation or nomination by their respective religious authorities, said teachers/instructors shall
submit to the principal or school head their proper authorization papers and request for time allocation
and schedule for the optional religious instruction. Ordinary teachers teaching in a particular school may
also teach their religion in the same or another school during the periods when they are free from their
ordinary teaching loads, and provided they are authorized to do so by the competent religious authority
of their denomination.

5. Recipient of Religious Instruction The teachers/instructors of religion as referred to in Paragraph 4

shall be allowed to teach those pupils/students whose parents or guardians have opted to request that
their children or wards be taught the religion of their choice. The option to request that their children or
wards learn religion in school shall be expressed in writing by the parent or guardian who shall likewise
accomplish in full the necessary application form. No student/pupil shall be allowed to attend religious
instruction classes without the said written application and duly accomplished request of his/her parent
or guardian.

6. The Application The application referred to in the preceding paragraph shall clearly indicate the
faith or religious instruction the student/pupil should receiver from the authorized religion
teachers/instructors, and the preferred schedule for religious instruction.

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7. Non-recipient of Religious Instruction Students not receiving religious instruction or those with
request but without available teacher/instructors for the particular denomination requested should be
under the supervision of their respective class advisers during the time religion classes are going on.

8. Size and Scheduling of Religious Classes The optional religious instruction shall be taught during
regular class hours only and not before and after class time, nor during recess time. Religious classes
should not number more than forty students of the same level and of the same religion, except where
the religious authority certifies that his teacher/instructor can allow for a bigger number due to its
practicality, availability of time slot/schedule, instructors/teachers, classroom materials and related
matters.

The principal or school head shall fix the schedule of the religion class hours taking into account the
number of the religion teachers/instructors that can be fielded by the different denominations at one
time.

9. Duration of Religion Classes The optional instruction shall be allotted at least ninety minutes a week,
spread over at least two (2) but not more than three (3) meetings in one week. In no case shall the class
periods be allotted less than ninety (90) minutes per week.

10. Optional Religious Instruction and Values Education The optional religious instruction and values
education of this Department are separate, different and distinct subjects. As such, religious instruction
shall be allotted separate class hours. Available time slot for religious instruction should be arranged
with the principal.

11. Administrative Sanctions Any principal, school head or teacher who violates any provision of this
Order shall, after due process, be subjected to appropriate disciplinary sanctions.

Prepared by:

ERICH D. GARCIA
Head Teacher III / OIC
San Esteban /Consuelo High School

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