Childrens Month

The Department of Education (DepEd) enjoined all private and public elementary and secondary schools to undertake activities in line with the celebration of the 2019 National Children’s Month (NCM) this November.

Education Undersecretary Alain Del Pascua, in DepEd Memorandum No. 147 series of 2019, expressed DepEd’s support to the celebration of the NCM this year which will be led by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC).

With the theme, “Karapatang Pambata: Patuloy na Pahalagahan at Gampanan tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan,” this year’s celebration of the NCM is made extra special as it coincides with the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC).

Pascua noted that the celebration of this year’s NCM is pursuant to Republic Act No. 10661 entitled “An Act Declaring the Month of November of Every Year as the National Children’s Month” which also commemorates the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989.

The NCM, Pascua noted, aims to “celebrate and recognize children as the most valuable assets of the nation” as well as to “emphasize the importance of their role within the Filipino family and Philippine society.” The law tasked the CWC, Department of Social and Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Youth Commission (NYC) to lead the annual celebration.

For its part, DepEd encouraged its offices and public and private schools to participate in major activities of the NCM.

This year’s celebration, Pascua noted, aims to “intensify public awareness on the rights of children and remind all sectors to be responsible in raising Filipino children to become well-rounded people, and to protect them at all costs, as enshrined in the UN CRC.”

Ultimately, the celebration aims to “empower children as rights-holders and duty-bearers to deliver commitment to promote, protect, and fulfill their rights as children.”

The said activities may include hoisting of streamer/banner of this year’s NCM celebration depicting its theme; recitation of the “Panatang Makabata” during the flag raising ceremonies on all Mondays of November; development, production and distribution of information, education and communication materials and other collaterals to include those developed by the CWC; in-class discussions on current issues such as bullying and conduct of child-friendly activities such as art contests and others