GMRC: Is it Necessary?

Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) is a study of morals that students should learn. On February 17, the third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 1224 was approved, stating that GMRC will be part of the K-12 curriculum in public and private schools. Several people raise the question if manners, conduct, and values should really be taught and be part of the curriculum for children.

Based on Philippine News Agency’s article, “House OKs GMRC bill on 2nd reading,” GMRC will focus on the basic tenets such as “caring for oneself, giving concern for others, upholding discipline and order, cultivating sincerity, honesty, obedience, and above all, love for the country.”

Some say that the lessons covered by the subject are already observed in other ways with the current curriculum. But with GMRC, schools will have a wider avenue to discipline the students. They will also have a more thorough discussion and application of what should and should not be done. This may help them prepare for the real world and how to act in specific situations they may go through.

Others claim that it is part of the parents responsibility to teach their children these values, but what some may not consider is that not all children are privileged enough to have parents who discipline them accordingly. Each parent also has their own way of parenting that we cannot control so it is better to have a mutual ground.

As younger generations rely more on digital technology, they may be exposed to immoral and bad influences online. It is easier now for them to feel societal pressure to be whatever the social norm is, whether it be good or bad. Through implementing GMRC, it will be able to clarify the students’ questions on specific dilemmas and issues.

It may take time to adjust to this addition to the curriculum, but the effects of this action will hopefully be beneficial to the country in the long-run. It is our responsibility to prepare the younger generation for the real world. It is our responsibility to shape the younger generation into becoming the best they can be.