THE DEPARTMENT of Education welcomed the public advisory issued by the Department of Justice reminding everyone to ensure the safety of children who will be using video conferencing for online classes.

“The public advisory on the conduct of online classes using video conferencing services by the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime is a welcome contribution, coming as it does from an office of the DOJ with expertise on the cyberworld and combating cybercrime,” the DepEd said in a statement.

It added that it is seriously taking into consideration DOJ’s notice as it finalizes its supplemental child protection policy which will be issued soon.

The DepEd said that it is adapting its child protection measures in the context of the Covid19 pandemic.

“The DepEd is in the final stages of developing its supplement to the DepEd Child Protection Policy or what we call the Policy on Child Protection in Education in the Context of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP),” it said.

“A child in the cyberworld is a whole person with dignity as much as a child in the physical world. We should thus respect and protect every child wherever he or she may be,” it added.

Although the cyberworld offers limitless opportunities for learning and provides valuable avenues for communication and socialization for children, DepEd said it recognizes that it also contains threats and dangers to the privacy, security, and safety of children.

The education department has been promoting the right of children against all forms of violence and abuse through its Child Protection Policy under DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012. The policy aims to nurture learners in a safe environment, including  in the virtual world.

“Even prior to the Covid19 pandemic, the DepEd, in collaboration with its partners, has been stepping up its efforts to address various online or cyber risks through the development of cybersafety lesson plans, the conduct of cybersafety trainings, and dissemination of cybersafety awareness and advocacy materials,” the education department said.

The supplemental child protection policy aims to address issues pertaining to the prevention, detection, reporting, and handling of child protection issues in the context of home-based learning, whether the learning delivery modality is modular, online, or blended learning.

In the process of finalizing the supplemental policy, DepEd is considering the necessity and practicability of recommended measures, taking into account the different circumstances of learners, teachers, and schools during the Covid19 pandemic.

The supplemental policy also aims to strengthen mechanisms on child protection, particularly the schools’ Child Protection Committees.

“The cyberworld being borderless, we all need to work together to ensure the safety of children in the cyberworld as much as in the physical world, as they navigate both these worlds and grow while enjoying their right to be free from harm and abuse. We need a whole-of-society approach, not just school interventions, to effectively and consistently overcome the attacks on the dignity and safety of the child in the cyber world,” DepEd said.