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The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) is calling for increased protection for schoolchildren through insurance, following a road accident that caused the deaths of five high school students.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones called on government units and non-government organisations to step up their efforts to protect the youth, as they are vulnerable to abuse and frequent victims in accidents, CNN Philippines reported. She addressed the media after visiting the funerals of five children who died in a road accident in Zamboanguita town in Negros Oriental province.
The students were on their way home from a school-sponsored dance competition when the van they were riding in collided with a truck. Five other students and one adult were injured and are currently recovering in the hospital.
According to Briones, all 27 million schoolchildren in the Philippines must be provided with insurance.
“Each time groups of children go out of the periphery of our campus, participate in competitions, and travel to other places, they have to be covered by insurance so that if there is a need for benefits and for assistance, these can be available,” she said, adding the need for the establishment of a quick response fund, as the DepEd’s budget has no allocation for financial assistance in case of such incidents.
Briones also appealed to transport regulators to step up in their duty to keep vehicles and roads safe.
