Mechanisms for Effectiveness: A Look Into the Child Friendly School System in Junior High School

Effectiveness is one of the dimensions of child friendly school system. Effectiveness in education means to ensure the fulfilment of each learners’ right to quality education. This emphasizes the dynamics of the teaching and learning process. On that note, this study investigated the level of implementation on the effectiveness of Child Friendly School System in the junior high school level of Barobo National High School, Barobo, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Respondents consist of 3 school administrators, 47 teachers, 50 Grade 10 students, and 50 parents of Grade 10 students. The study used the descriptive method where the respondents were asked about their evaluation of the program through a survey questionnaire. It was found out in the study that the Child Friendly School System was implemented to a very satisfactory level in terms of effectiveness. This goes to show that the said junior high school was able to deliver well in terms of how teachers and learners interact in the classroom and the usage of instructional materials to achieve positive learning outcomes. There are however areas which need to be improved, and in order to do so, this entails collective efforts of both the internal and external stakeholders of the school.


INTRODUCTION
Implementation, when combined with outcome evaluations, can help in the identification of effective programs and practices. Through program evaluation, the individual can determine whether activities are realized as intended and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This hereby provides insights on how they should be designed and implemented in order to produce a positive result (Duerden & Witt, 2012). Hence, to assess the success of child friendly school system (CFSS) which is one of the programs implemented in public schools in the Philippines, this study endeavored to evaluate the program in terms of its effectiveness.
Effectiveness is pointed out as one of the dimensions of child friendly school system. Effectiveness in education according to UNESCO (1994) is to ensure the fulfilment of each learners' right to quality education. This means creating a learning environment that promotes and demonstrates a broad definition of quality.
In addition to UNESCO's statement, effective education includes a quality learning environments, containing guidelines and practices which forbid aggravation, disgrace, violence, physical reprimand, and substance abuse; amenities with adequate classrooms, clean water supplies, sanitation facilities, and services that promote safety and physical and psychosocial health; quality learners who are healthy, ready to learn, and sustained by their family and community; excellence in teaching-learning processes and content with child-centered and life skills-based methods and skill applications to decrease inequalities and stimulate learning; relevant instruction and ample materials for literacy, numeracy, and the vital information and skills for life; quality results, with clear learning outcomes; (awareness, approaches, and skills) and appropriate methods to evaluate them at classroom and national levels.
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470 @ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume -3 | Issue -1 | Nov-Dec 2018 Page: 1299 Several studies have been conducted relative to CFSS implementation. Enueme (2011), in her evaluation of the program disclosed that the system has positive impact to both the children, teachers, and the school community as a whole. In another study of Orkodashvili's (2010), it was found out that experience is now showing that a framework of rights-based, child-friendly schools can be a powerful tool for both helping to fulfill the rights of children and providing them an education of good quality. Moreover, Chidi (2013) also pointed out that quality assurance should be demonstrated through capacity building and monitoring by the government and UNICEF. Hence, there should be constant in-service training of teachers on child friendly pedagogies.
In the Philippines, it was in 1999 that the childfriendly school system was introduced and was piloted in 131 elementary schools, with the goal of improving education quality by transforming schools into healthy, tolerant, inclusive and protective learning environments. The Department of Education expanded fifty three (53) public secondary schools in 2006 and 2007, respectively. However, though this system has been implemented in the country for long years already, studies conducted about it have been scarce. Hence, this study primarily aimed to address such demand to evaluate the system in the Philippine context. Particularly, this study is focused on the CFSS implementation of Barobo National High School in Surigao del Sur which has been one of the child-friendly schools in the country since 2011. More so, while the aforesaid studies gauged the system in foreign countries in a broader dimension, the present study is more specific as it puts emphasis only on its effectiveness.
Fundamentally, the present study school could lend insights to administrators and other stakeholders regarding the status quo of the program implementation. This study will also give a concrete idea to the policy-makers and program implementers as to the real context of child-friendly school system as implemented; and thus revisit the policies pertaining to it. Furthermore, these data could be utilized to fortify the child-friendly school system not only in the institutions where this study is conducted but in all implementing academes through intervention activities if necessitated.

Research Methodology
To determine the level of effectiveness on the implementation of child friendly school system of Barobo Nationl High School, the researchers used the descriptive method by noting significant statistics that was derived through qualitative description. It collected data at a particular point in time with intention of describing the nature or identifying the standards. The study adopted this strategy because it is best used when collecting information about people's perceptions and opinions. This method enabled the researchers to bring out the level of implementation of CFSS in terms of effectiveness.
The locale of the study was in Barobo National High School, Barobo, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. It is one of the implementing schools of child-friendly school system in the Philippines. A total of 150 participants were taken as sample for the study. To determine this number, the researchers utilized the universal sampling for the 3 school administrators and 47 teachers. For the 50 grade 10 students, the researchers used the stratified random sampling, and for 50 parents from grade 10, the researchers employed the convenience sampling method.
The researchers made use of questionnaire as a survey instrument adapted from the original questionnaire formulated by UNESCO. The researchers made some modifications by focusing on one dimension only which is effectiveness. In this dimension, three key performance area were evaluated namely: mechanisms for a constructive policy and management environment for learning; mechanisms for good, quality-centered teaching and learning processes and outcomes; and mechanisms for enhanced teacher capacity, morale and motivation. The drafted questionnaire underwent validation from experts before it was used. Experts suggested to translate the items in vernacular for better understanding of the respondents. A five-point Likert scale was used to quantify the perceptions of the respondents.
After all data were gathered, the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 16 was utilized by the researcher to ensure reliable interpretations. To find out the level of implementation in terms of effectiveness, weighted mean was used where the scores were interpreted as follows:

Results and Discussion
The level of implementation of child-friendly school system as perceived by the respondents is shown in School officials' perception. Effectiveness was divided into a constructive policy and management environment for learning (KPA1) which was rated by the school officials with 4.42 (very satisfactory). As presented in Table 3, item regarding the clear understanding of school mission and vision statement among internal and external stakeholders (item 1) was given a highest rating of 4.94 (excellent). This can be observed during the school and classroom-based orientation conducted by the administrators and teachers every opening of classes in June. Meanwhile, item about the exemption of families with financial constrain from school fees was rated by the respondents (item 11) as implemented satisfactorily with mean score of 3.12. This result justified that the school collected school fees on a legal matter across all learners. Categorizing financial capability in every learner was not evident. School collected fees through school governing council. 3. The school is aware of and is changing policies and practicessuch as costs and daily schedulesthat prevent children with diverse backgrounds and abilities from receiving a quality education. On the other hand, the mechanism for quality-centered teaching and learning processes and outcomes (KPA2) was rated by the school officials as very satisfactorily implemented with mean score of 4.32. Items regarding educational materials and learning resources which promote active learning and gender sensitivity (item 2) and the prevention of negative communication among teachers and students (item 6) garnered the same lowest mean scores of 3.74 with descriptive level of very satisfactory (see Table 4). This is affirmed by Florian (2009) that negative communication between teachers and students would mark a hostile psychological upshot to the learners. Based on his recommendation school administrators, teachers, students and parents should submit International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470

Table3. Level of Implementation of CFSS in Terms of Effectiveness as perceived by the School Officials
themselves to a seminar about behavior and personal management and even anger management or a recollection activities. Meanwhile, item about students' participation according to their interest in any related school related activities (item 8) garnered the highest rating of 4.96 (excellent). This can be justified through different awards received by the school from the division level of competition up to the national level. Further, the enhanced teacher capacity, morale, and motivation (KPA3) of effectiveness was rated by the school officials as very satisfactorily implemented with mean score of 4.46. Item about the conduct of annual medical check-ups among teachers and staff (item 10) were rated by the respondents as excellent with the mean score of 5.00 (see Table 5). This rating can be attributed on the annual medical check-up initiated by the school for the teachers and staff. Medical check-up was done as part of the brigada eskwela program of the school. The said health services were conducted by the personnel who are alumni of the school whose profession is health related while the medicines and other health materials were shouldered by both local and provincial government. 13. "Self-assessment tools" are available for teachers to monitor their own progress and ways to continue improving upon it. 4.88 Excellent 3

Mean 4.46 Very Satisfactory
Students' perception. The students' evaluation on a constructive policy and management environment for learning (KPA1) of effectiveness was 4.24 as implemented very satisfactorily. Table 6, shows that the adequacy of classroom teaching aids, materials, technologies, and equipment for all subjects (item 13) was given the lowest mean score 3.64 (very satisfactory). The result implies that the school has teaching aids, materials, technology and equipment but the ratio towards the number of user was not enough. A shortage of materials and facilities were manifested. With this kind of scenario, school officials, teachers, and parents would look into their partners for some assistance to address these problems. On the other hand, item pertaining on the safety of school playground (item 8) were rated by students as excellent with mean score of 4.84. It implies that the school followed and provided safety precautions to the learners. This can be observed through the signage posted in the different corners of the school and hazard map posted in the classrooms. It even conducted hazard and precaution and first-aid seminar to students. This was asserted by Toson (2013) that it is the responsibility of the school to educate its learner about safety and precaution. Students spent most of their time in school. Despite the firm implementation of the school about the policy on safety, still learners cannot be exempted on accidents either minor or major. Moreover, the students evaluated the quality-centered teaching and learning processes and outcomes (KPA2) of effectiveness as very satisfactory with mean score of 4.15. Item regarding on the situation of teachers scolding their students (item 7) rated the least mean score of 3.48 with descriptive level of satisfactory (see Table 7). This result was aligned to the perception of the respondents on the negative communication between teachers and students. Stanovich and Jordan (2002) stated that giving negative feedback towards learners in a coarse process created psychological disturbance to the learners. It resulted to a decline of the academic performance of the learners. Meanwhile item about encouraging students to work together as a group and to solve problems on a flexible manner (item 10) was rated as excellent with mean score of 4.62. This can be observed on the sustainability and intensification of the implementation of mentoring and buddy system program of the school. On the other hand, students did not evaluate the enhanced teacher capacity, morale, and motivation (KPA3) of effectiveness because this dimension focused only on teacher's motivation and morale development which they know less about. Parents Perception. Parents evaluated the constructive policy and management environment for learning (KPA1) of effectiveness as very satisfactorily implemented with mean score of 4.18. Based on the data presented on Table 8, it was observed that item about the exemption of poor families from school fees (item 7) was rated as satisfactory with a mean score of 3.02. This result is aligned to the response of the school officials and students. This might be overlooked by the school administrators where the consistency of the response entails that school collected school fees without identifying the students' financial background. Also, parents rated the quality-centered teaching and learning processes and outcomes (KPA2) of effectiveness as excellently implemented with mean score of 4.52. Table 9 indicates that items regarding the dissemination of information to the parents as to their children's attendance, participation and achievement (item 3) was 4.9 and item about the livelihood training in the community as provided (item 2) was 4.8. Both items were perceived by the respondents as excellently implemented. This can be justified on the quarterly meeting conducted by the school aside from the general PTA assembly and the home visitation program for students vulnerable of dropping out. Also, the school initiates community extensions through the Technical and Vocational Education department with their program Train which provides training on different skills among external stakeholders of the school.

Table9. Level of Implementation of CFSS in Terms of Effectiveness as perceived by the parents in KPA 2 KPA 2. GOOD QUALITY, CHILD-CENTRED TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES Parents
Level of Implementation Rank In addition, the parents rated the enhanced teacher capacity, morale, and motivation (KPA3) of effectiveness as very satisfactorily implemented with mean score of 4.18. Table 10 shows that the highest of 4.32 (very satisfactory) was on item about the increase of resources through the collaborative effort among external stakeholders and the school (item 1). It was followed by item on the mobilization of community to support teachers on their classroom needs (item 3) with mean score of 4.22 (very satisfactory). Item about the collaboration among the school and the external stakeholders to address gender inequality (item 2) although last on the rank, but was rated by the respondents as very satisfactorily implemented with a mean score 4.02. This means that the school services or program like linking with external stakeholders to generate resources address important issues like gender equality, and mobilize community to support teachers were evident and observed by the parents. Generally, the respondents evaluated the implementation of Child Friendly School System in terms of effectiveness as very satisfactory with mean score of 4.30. The school official rated this dimension as very satisfactory with mean score 4.40 followed by the parents who perceived the program as very satisfactorily implemented with mean score of 4.30. Lastly, the students gave a very satisfactory rating of 4.20. This manifests that in terms of effectiveness, the school was able to deliver well on this CFSS dimension. For the construction of policy and management environment, it was evident from the responses of the respondents that a collaborative policy formulation was a common practice of the school. Both internal and external stakeholders created a shared governance through the creation of School Governing Council. On the other hand, other school services particularly on the child-centered and learning process like intensifying school program that would address the gap in every learning materials to be child friendly, teachers resourcefulness in aligning their instructional materials and teaching pedagogy were rated low by the students who were the end receiver and user of the said services. Also, the facilities particularly the some toilets for boys and girls were not separated.

Table10.Level of Implementation of CFSS in Terms of
Meanwhile, item on teacher's motivation and morale like the annual medical check-up rendered by the school was an evidence that the school administrators really cared for the welfare of the teacher particularly on the health aspects, and item on the regular monitoring of teacher's performance and providing an assessment tool to evaluate themselves in terms of personal, career and professional growth were rated by the respondents as excellently implemented. Another indication that the school provide the teachers with their needs to make their teaching fruitful and meaningful. It showed that teacher were motivated intrinsically and extrinsically. UNESCO (1994) affirmed that a motivated teacher created a passionate teacher, and a passionate teacher produces a child-friendly teacher. In return, teacher would not be child friendly if the school is not a teacher-friendly. In addition, Byrk (2010) stated that if the school is teacher friendly, motivational drive will be developed among teachers and they will spend more time, giving motherly care in teaching. There will be low teacher absenteeism and there will be an increased use of innovative, child-centered learning methods that show definite results in improving learning achievement.

Conclusion
Drawn from the findings above, it can be deduced that the child friendly school system as implemented in the junior high school level of Barobo National High School was implemented on a very satisfactory level in terms of effectiveness. This goes to show that the said junior high school was able to deliver well in terms of the dynamics in the teaching and learning process -how teachers and learners interact in the classroom and the usage of instructional materials to achieve positive learning outcomes. There are however areas which need to be improved, and in order to do so, this entails collective efforts of both the internal and external stakeholders of the school.