Sunday, August 15, 2004 Test all aspiring teachers for drugs: lawmaker
A CAPITOL legislator wants to make sure teachers are fit to take the moral high ground, instead of getting high on drugs.
Provincial Board (PB) Member Juan Bolo, who chairs the committee on education, is urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to subject applicants for teaching positions to mandatory drug tests.
“Teachers are considered our children’s second parents while they are in school, where they are calculated to spend more than the amount of time they stay in our homes.
They should possess the moral ascendancy and unquestionable integrity such that we can entrust the lives of our children to them,” Bolo said in his proposed resolution.
Language
Bolo, a former schoolteacher, is also opposing House Bill 1563, which seeks to make Filipino the medium of instruction in all schools.
The House bill is sponsored by the sectoral representatives and is now pending in the House of Representatives.
“Contrary to the contention espoused by the sponsors that it will develop love of country, it will only confuse the students. This bill violates the Constitution, which allows the use of English and Tagalog,” Bolo’s resolution stated.
No less than President Arroyo has promoted the use of English as the medium of instruction in schools.
“Filipino is still developing as a language and there are still words in English that are not yet translated in Filipino. By making Filipino the medium of instruction in school, there is an impending danger that our students will lag behind their competitors in the job market, most specifically in export companies and in job openings abroad,” the resolution further stated.
Both resolutions Bolo sponsored will be taken up during the PB session
tomorrow. MBG
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