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Private schools group withdraws from NTF-ELCAC

Private schools group withdraws from NTF-ELCAC
This undated file photo shows students walking inside campus (The STAR / Edd Gumban, File) 

MANILA, Philippines — The largest network of private schools in the country has terminated its membership in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), more than two months since it joined.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), composed of 1,500 private schools nationwide, announced its withdrawal from the NTF-ELCAC’s executive committee following pressure from teachers and students’ groups.

“After further consultation among its member-associations and upon review of its core advocacies, COCOPEA has opted to strengthen its education initiatives by preserving its collaborative role outside of a formal membership in the NTF-ELCAC,” COCOPEA said in a statement.

COCOPEA joined NTF-ELCAC’s executive committee in November on the condition that the controversial task force would stop red-tagging and respect academic freedom and human rights.

This did not stop teachers, academics and student leaders from criticizing COCOPEA, telling the group to rethink its “misguided and self-defeating” decision, as the task force has been targeting students, teachers and school administration in its red-baiting operations.

They cited previous instances when NTF-ELCAC targeted private schools, most notably in 2018 when 18 schools in Metro Manila were tagged as conspirators in the alleged “Red October” plot to oust then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Recognized as the unifying voice of private education in the Philippines, COCOPEA remains steadfast in its role as an independent non-government organization that represents the interests and concerns of the private education sector as it seeks to promote, advance and safeguard quality education in the country,” COCOPEA said.

“As a council of education associations composed of diverse members from faith-based mission schools to nonsectarian schools, universities, colleges and tech-voc institutes, COCOPEA’s withdrawal from the task force is of utmost significance in preserving the essentiality of academic freedom and the vital role it plays in a democratic society,” it added.

Despite its withdrawal from NTF-ELCAC, COCOPEA said it still believed in the task force’s mission to “achieve unity, peace, security and socioeconomic development.”

“COCOPEA will continue to represent the private education sector in dialogues with the task force on matters that align with its goals and objectives,” it added.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Private Schools lauded COCOPEA’s move, calling it a “significant victory for academic freedom and democratic rights in education.”

“This is a welcome development that shows how education institutions are beginning to recognize that the NTF-ELCAC’s presence in schools is incompatible with academic freedom and democratic rights. COCOPEA’s departure from NTF-ELCAC is a clear recognition that militarization has no place in our schools,” said ACT Private Schools secretary-general Jonathan Geronimo.

ACT Private Schools stressed that COCOPEA’s withdrawal sets an important precedent for other educational institutions to never allow schools to be “used in anti-democratic intentions.”

“We call on other educational institutions, both public and private, to follow COCOPEA’s example and take a firm stand against the militarization of our schools. The presence of military and police forces in educational institutions, along with their practice of red-tagging, creates a climate of fear that undermines genuine learning and academic freedom,” Geronimo added. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Pia Lee-Brago

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