09/09/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ
The school is meant to help children reach their highest potential -- to discover hidden abilities, show them to the world, and become the best version of themselves. Teachers often say: โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ซ๐ฐ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ด ๐ถ๐ด.โ
But letโs be honest: no teacher will ever feel joy when a student shoots another inside the classroom. No teacher will be proud of students who gang up on a defenseless child. And no teacher will be at peace being buried six feet under after being killed over a failing grade. These are not just tragic incidents -- they are symptoms of a broken system.
I feel the obligation to highlight these events, not to spread fear but to open our eyes. These could happen again. Not just to others -- but to us.
On August 4, teacher Danilo Barba Jr. was fatally shot by his Grade 11 student outside Balabagan Trade School in Lanao del Sur. The student confessed he pulled the trigger over a failing grade.
On August 7, in Nueva Ecija, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the neck by her 18-year-old classmate inside their classroom. After shooting her, he turned the gun on himself. She remains in a coma; he did not survive.
On August 10, in Iligan City, 9-year-old Jonard Ensipido was beaten by five high school students. He is still in intensive care.
Three incidents. One week. All disturbing. Schools should be safe havens for learning, but instead, we are seeing classrooms turn into crime scenes and students wielding guns instead of pens. Giving a failing grade should never be a teacher's death sentence.
These are not isolated incidents -- they are wake-up calls. Schools, instead of nurturing life, are becoming places where lives are put at risk.
We must ask: What drives a student to kill over a grade? Why would one shoot a classmate and then himself? Why would high schoolers gang up on a Grade 3 pupil? Have anti-bullying laws gone toothless? Has the school system failed us once again?
The victims deserve justice. But justice is not enough. Prevention is. Starting Grade 7, students must undergo regular workshops on conflict management and emotional regulation. Schools should submit quarterly reports on bullying cases, with penalties for administrators who ignore them. Mandatory bag inspections at gates must become standard to keep weapons out.
The message is clear: strengthen the Anti-Bullying Laws, prioritize security in schools, and rebuild education as a space of safety -- not of fear. A place where pens, not guns, are held. Where knowledge, not violence, is power. Where schools give life, not take it away.
๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ: ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ญ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
