The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Private Schools lauds the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) for its principled stance to withdraw its membership from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), 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. Ang pag-alis ng COCOPEA sa NTF-ELCAC ay malinaw na pagkilala na walang lugar ang red-tagging at militarisasyon sa ating mga paaralan,” stated ACT Private Schools Secretary-General Jonathan Geronimo.
ACT Private Schools previously opposed NTF-ELCAC’s recruitment of COCOPEA as its private partner academic institution, warning that it would lead to intensified red-tagging, repression, and a climate of fear in private schools. “This withdrawal is a recognition of those dangers, and we welcome COCOPEA’s decision to take a step away from an agency notorious for stifling critical dissent,” Geronimo said.
Geronimo emphasized that COCOPEA’s withdrawal sets an important precedent for other educational institutions. “Hindi dapat ginagamit ang mga paaralan para sa mga anti-demokratikong layunin ng NTF-ELCAC. Schools should be safe spaces for critical thinking, academic discourse, and the free exchange of ideas—not venues for surveillance and intimidation.”
“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.
ACT further urged the government to abolish the NTF-ELCAC and redirect its massive budget to address the basic needs of the education sector. “Sa halip na mag-aksaya ng bilyon-bilyong piso sa isang ahensyang nagbabanta sa kalayaang pang-akademiko, dapat gamitin ang mga pondong ito para mabigyan ng disenteng sahod ang mga guro sa publiko at pribado, dagdagan ang suporta sa mga mag-aaral, at tugunan ang lumalalang krisis sa edukasyon,” concluded Geronimo. #
