Group cites ‘bigger problem’ behind teacher’s Tiktok rant

Group cites ‘bigger problem’ behind teacher’s Tiktok rant

While the teacher shown in a viral video scolding her misbehaving students may have been wrong in the way she dealt with them, she should not be judged right away as the incident only shows a “bigger problem.”

According to Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) chair Benjo Basas, the “full context” of the video must be determined by the Department of Education (DepEd) in its investigation.

Earlier, Deped gave the teacher, who works in a high school in Metro Manila, 72 hours to explain why she should not be charged administratively.

The video clip on TikTok, which went viral last week, was criticized by social media users who called her out for her choice of words.

READ: Teacher in viral scolding video faces DepEd probe

For Basas, he urged the public to “not quickly judge” the teacher based on the two-minute video.

“We want to remind everyone that there is a bigger problem at hand with this viral video,” he said in a statement. “And that is the matter of discipline in schools and its place in the overall state of our education, especially in public schools.”

Made obsolete

While acknowledging that children indeed “need discipline to learn,” he said this method was “rendered obsolete” as some forms of discipline were being classified as child abuse under current policies, putting teachers “at a disadvantage,” Basas explained.

Some of these policies include the DepEd Child Protection Policy or the Department Order No. 40, series of 2012, the Anti-Child Abuse Law, among others.

“We acknowledge these, and as teachers, we also believe that the state has an obligation to protect children, wherever they may be,” Basas said. “However, these policies should not be used against our teachers. Teachers must also be protected from those who would take advantage of these

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