I strongly condemn the Bicol Central Academy (Libmanan Campus) School Administrator and incumbent Provincial Board Member Alexander James Jaucian for ordering the burning of the Senior High School students' bag for violating the "no-bag" policy a few weeks ago.
According to some students, they were instructed on Friday, August 17, not to bring large bags as they would be wearing business attire that day. The students were tapped to serve as substitute teachers while the faculty attended a seminar. But some of them brought their bags due that most of them need to bring large bags with them as they did not live near the campus, had school work in the afternoon, and also needed a change of clothes.
The incident became viral on social media after some students took a video showing that their bags were being burned along the school grounds. In the said video, Jaucian was heard shouting the students saying that they were "stupid" for not removing their gadgets such as smartphones and laptops/tablets in their burning bags when it was already exploding.
The Regional Director of DepEd Region V, Dr. Gilbert T. Sadsad has already taken several recommendations such as: Jaucian should be subject for an indefinite leave until the students' be relieved from the trauma caused by the incident and the inventory of all the things destroyed and to be charged personally to Jaucian. The Regional Office is still studying the possibility of revoking the school's permit to operate its Senior High School program.
Being a public school teacher like me, sometimes we reach the point wherein our patience is being tested until we get to the boiling point. But as professionals, we must hold our temper as much as we can. Educators must inculcate into the mind of our students happiness, and not fears. We have been entrusted by our respected authorities to teach them the values that they must emulate from us - and going below the belt in this case is already too much.
I hope that the Department will give justice to the affected students because they deserve nothing but to be educated and not to be maltreated by persons whose mission is to ensure the delivery of quality education to them.
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