STUDENTS in Mandaue City expressed dissatisfaction with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) new directive requiring teachers to take down classroom decorations, which they claimed would divert students’ attention.
They said in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, August 25, 2023, that the DepEd memo should not cover visual aids because they would help them with their studies.
While some teachers claimed the order would help them save money for classroom decorations and use it instead for other things.
City Councilor Malcolm Sanchez, chairman of the Committee on Education, welcomed the memorandum, saying an overly decorated classroom would only make it difficult for students to concentrate in class.
"Ang bata madistract magsige na lang ug tan-aw anang mga decorations. So, clean sight, limpyo siya at least ang makita sa bata blackboard, equipment inside the classroom for learning para di na gyud maglingi-lingi bisag asa. Focus sila sa ila makita sa atubangan," Sanchez said.
(The child will keep looking at the decorations and will be distracted. So, clean sight, neat, at least what the child can see inside the classroom are blackboard and other tools for learning so they don't have to look around anywhere. They should only focus on what they see in front of them).
On August 3, DepEd uploaded on its website Order No. 21 requiring schools to "take out everything" from classroom walls, including traditional instructional posters and other visual teaching aids to keep the classrooms clean, orderly, functional and free from distractions.
Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte also include in the order that classrooms should not have images of current and former presidents of the Philippines and national heroes, according to DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa.(HIC, TPT)