(Melchor Vergara contributed to this report)

The Department of Education’s recent stance on allowing students and teachers to wear yellow duck hair clips raises some quizzical eyebrows. While championing freedom of choice, it inadvertently sidesteps the very principle of maintaining a distraction-free learning environment.

The irony peaks when juxtaposed with DepEd’s previous directive to strip classrooms of all decorations for the same reason—distraction. Aren’t these spring-enhanced clips more distracting than static decor? Their whimsical bobbing with every student’s movement might just prove to be a more dynamic distraction. Shouldn’t the focus be on fostering an atmosphere conducive to learning rather than endorsing fashion statements that could potentially disrupt the educational process? While individual expression is important, it shouldn’t overshadow the collective goal of providing an environment where students can thrive academically without unnecessary interruptions.

It’s a quack-worthy conundrum that DepEd might want to revisit.