The Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (CoTeSCUP) on Thursday urged educational institutions to follow occupational safety and health (OSH) protocols to protect employees amid rising school-related violence.
“CoTeSCUP emphasizes that school violence must also be addressed as an occupational safety and health concern,” the group said in a statement. “Schools are places of learning for students, but for teachers and non-teaching personnel, they are also workplaces.”
Under Republic Act No. 11058, or the Philippine Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Law, the State mandates that workplaces maintain a safe working environment that protects workers from hazards that may cause injury, sickness, or death.
However, CoTeSCUP noted that the mandate does not specifically include school violence or active shootouts. Instead, the law mainly covers traditional industrial hazards, occupational illnesses and equipment safety.
“Violence that threatens the lives and safety of teachers and staff raises legitimate OSH concerns involving risk prevention, emergency preparedness, training, incident response, investigation and corrective measures,” the group said.
The group underscored that education agencies and institutions must work hand in hand with the labor sector to review and strengthen school and campus safety policies, including appropriate protocols for serious and armed threats.
The Labor department must also ensure educational workplaces comply with applicable OSH requirements, including risk assessment, functioning OSH committees, emergency preparedness, worker training, incident investigation and preventive and corrective measures.
The call for safer schools comes after two campus shootings, which occurred within the span of nearly two months.
The first incident at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City in June has taken the lives of three students and wounded 20 others. Last Tuesday, a Grade 9 student also opened fire inside the junior high school campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, resulting in two fatalities and one injured.
“Teachers and staff have a right to a safe workplace. Students have a right to a safe place of learning,” the CoTeSCUP said. “Keeping our schools safe is a shared responsibility – and teachers, staff, and their unions must have a meaningful voice in that responsibility.”
“CoTeSCUP calls for a whole-of-government, whole-of-school, and labor-management approach to school safety,” it added. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
