DepEd probes trending FB post on alleged teacher’s bullying

She, however, clarified that the post does not intend to malign teachers in general nor the institution her niece is currently enrolled in, insisting she made it public to raise awareness on matters of bullying and how it may harm the mental health of learners, especially at a young age. (File Photo: DepEd Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday it is carefully looking into the viral Facebook post calling out the alleged bullying by a teacher during the first day of classes.

In a Viber message, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the concerned regional information officer is “already aware” of the matter, and they are coordinating with the one who posted the incident.

“We have to investigate first what happened. The SDO (Schools District Office) is already in contact with the author of the post to get the facts… They are already in contact and looking into what really transpired,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jeannie Vargas, the author of the trending post, said her niece was discouraged from going to school.

“No, the kid doesn’t wanna go back to school na po. Takot na humarap sa teacher. Takot na pumasok (Fearful to face the teacher, anxious to go to school). They’re actually in our local DepEd office right now, talking with a lawyer and a doctor daw para sa (for my) niece ko,” she told the Philippine News Agency.

The trending post, which has almost 150,000 reactions and almost 70,000 shares, included a picture of the handwritten note of the alleged conversation between her Grade 5 niece and the teacher during the first day of in-person classes.

The handwritten included words like “bruha, bobo, hayop (witch, dumb, and animal),” which were allegedly uttered by her teacher as her niece had a hard time finishing their writing activity.

Vargas noted that the learner was not able to verbalize her experience possibly due to trauma, hence, she opted to write the note.

“Grabe, sobra naman itong teacher na ito. Sobrang excited ng pamangkin ko pumasok dahil first day at first time ulit na face-to-face classes, tapos ito ma-experience niya agad. Nakakalungkot (This teacher is the worst! My niece was actually excited to go to school on her first day for the face-to-face classes, then this will be her experience! Saddening),” she said in her post.

She, however, clarified that the post does not intend to malign teachers in general nor the institution her niece is currently enrolled in, insisting she made it public to raise awareness on matters of bullying and how it may harm the mental health of learners, especially at a young age.