DepEd to focus on discipline, love of country in curriculum; mandatory ROTC eyed for College — VP Sara

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said it is better to return the Reserve Officers' Training Corp. to higher education since it was already there before.

Instead of introducing the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in senior high school, officials are now considering putting it back in the college level, Vice President Sara Duterte said on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Duterte, who is also education secretary, said they already had an initial meeting with some congressmen and senators to discuss proposals regarding the return of the mandatory ROTC.

“During our discussion, I think it was clear to everyone that it is better to return ROTC to higher education since it was already there before. The basic education will focus on other parts of the curriculum that will instill discipline and love of country for our learners,” she said.

The Department of Education earlier expressed support for Marcos’ call, with DepEd Assistant Secretary for youth affairs and special concerns Dexter Galban sharing details of their exploratory talks with the Department of National Defense.

Galban, in a Facebook post earlier this month, said they are exploring the development of a joint Preparatory Citizenship Training program, describing it as a “prelude to a multi-tiered, well safeguarded, multi-faceted citizenship program.”

At the higher education level, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III earlier bared plans to implement an optional “advanced” ROTC program to complement the mandatory ROTC in senior high school.

“Once we have ROTC in senior high, the NSTP (National Service Training Program) law will be amended because the optional two years of ROTC at the university level would be converted into an advanced ROTC program,” De Vera said in Filipino last August.

“The basics would now be in senior high, so what will happen is that the advanced ROTC as an option in NSTP will already produce possible officers that can be recruited into the armed forces or to the reserve corps,” he added.
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