BAGUIO CITY – The local legislative body approved a resolution requesting the Department of Education–Division of City Schools and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to require different private and public schools under their jurisdiction to include in the enrolment form an information that include among other data handedness, indicating whether the student is left- or right-handed, to serve as a guide for policy-makers and decision-makers in the distribution of the limited resources.
Earlier, Senate Bill No. 31, an act instituting a comprehensive and holistic framework and programs for left handers and for other purposes, was proposed to help left-handed schoolchildren in all areas of the basic and higher levels of the education curriculum.
Further, the bill is aimed to ensure that left-handed children receive an equal learning experience similar to their right-handed contemporaries.
The resolution authored by Councilor Vladimir Cayabas stated that requesting all schools, public or private, from pre-school to college for additional information on their enrolment form indicating whether the student is left-handed or right-handed would be a great help for the school and concerned government agencies to prepare and provide school equipment designs and materials, such as chairs, for the left-handed learners.
The resolution added, to help in effectively and efficiently addressing the primary purpose of Senate Bill No. 31, it is important that data of students who are left handed must first be obtained through the enrolment form being filled up by the students and their parents to allow the concerned government agencies and schools to provide materials and equipment for the left-handed pupils and students while the proposed law is being deliberated and awaiting its enactment into law.
The Committee on Education, Culture, Creativity and Historical Research recommended the approval of the aforesaid resolution and for its immediate transmittal to the education department and the CHED for the concerned agencies to initiate the revision of the enrolment forms to incorporate the information on handedness.
Cayabas noted that almost all the arm chairs are designed for right-handed individuals, thus left-handed pupils or students often suffer discrimination as they are forced to convert being right-handed instead of being the naturally left-handed persons.
He claimed based on his previous experience, he was a natural left-handed individual but when he started attending classes in the elementary level, the arm chairs were all intended for the right-handed and being the minority, he hand to suffer the difficulty of being converted into a right-handed person.
The neophyte city legislator expressed optimism the pending legislation in the Senate will be passed aside from the possible passage of a counterpart bill in the House so that the bill will eventually be signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to provide convenience to left-handed learners.
Cayabas is also seeking the support of other local legislative bodies in the different parts of the country so that the pending legislation for the promotion of the welfare of left-handed individuals will be enacted into law.
By Dexter A. See
