Integrated discipline, nationalism curriculum sought

The Department of Education is eyeing to integrate student discipline and nationalism into the basic education curriculum.

DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps will be implemented at the tertiary level, not in basic education.

"It is no longer an issue for DepEd because it (ROTC) will be implemented at the college level because our DepEd learners are still minors," Poa told this reporter in an interview over the weekend.

Instead of coming up with military-related training for the students, the DepEd is pushing for a peace culture program that aims to instill discipline and nationalism in students.

Poa, however, stressed that the national peace culture is just a working title so the actual name of the program may even be changed.

"But this is what we can say the same with the ROTC, although not purely military training, it's not like that. It's more of projects or programs that will instill discipline in our learners," Poa explained.

According to Poa, there is no specific yet as to how the program would be integrated into the basic education curriculum.

"It will be part of our curriculum once it was finalized. Right now it is being studied on how it will be integrated in our curriculum," he said.

Poa, however, said that the program will be implemented depending on the age of the learners.

"We will launch a program that is suitable to the age of the learners," he said.