By Catherine J. Teves
MANILA, Nov. 24 (PNA) — Government is open to accommodating schools that’ll volunteer to join its 2015 pilot implementation of climate change-and disaster risk reduction-related enhancements for the country’s K-12 basic education program to better test-run and refine these measures for proposed nationwide implementation.
Climate Change Commission (CCC) and Department of Education (DepEd) are collaborating on the target enhancements’ piloting, which these agencies originally set for several public schools in two regions only, to help enrollees better gain knowledge about climate change and disaster risk reduction, boosting their resilience.
“Schools outside those regions but interested in being part of the undertaking can already inform us about respective intentions to join,” CCC Vice-Chairperson Lucille Sering said Monday (Nov. 24) at the second Greeneration summit the agency spearheaded in Metro Manila for the youth of Luzon.
She raised urgency for enhancing the K-12 curriculum by integrating climate change and disaster risk reduction into this program of study, noting the Philippines is among countries most vulnerable to the changing climate’s impacts.
Experts said such impacts are increasing onslaught of extreme weather events as well as sea level and temperature rise.
“We aim to help school children learn what to do in times of impending extreme weather events,” said Sering.
Last week, CCC Implementation and Oversight Development Management Division chief Helena Gaddi said the agency and DepEd are already developing the module and curriculum design for the planned piloting.
She also said such agencies earlier set the piloting in three public schools in each of regions VI and XIII.
“For every school chosen there, the piloting will be for a special section of enrollees in each of grades 3, 6 and 9,” she noted.
CCC and DepEd will announce names of such schools as soon as possible.
Sering said other schools interested in volunteering for the piloting can contact CCC regarding the matter so discussions on this can commence.
CCC will be pleased to undertake the piloting with DepEd and the most number of schools possible, she noted.
Gaddi said the piloting will provide school enrollees concerned as well as their teachers and parents the opportunity to feedback on the target climate change-and disaster risk reduction-related K-12 enhancements.
Their feedback will help CCC and DepEd refine such targetenhancements so both agencies can eventually recommend these for nationwide implementation, she also said.
Authorities concerned chose grades 3, 6 and 9 for the piloting as transition to higher stages in the K-12 curriculum occurs at these school levels, noted Gaddi.
The country’s K-12 program covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education consisting of six years’ primary education, four years’ junior high school and two years’ senior high school.
Government said the program aims “to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop life-long learners and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.”
CCC spearheads Greeneration summits in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao to help better raise the youth’s awareness on climate change by disseminating latest available information on the matter.
Such advocacy and information dissemination activities aim enabling the youth sector to help integrate, in schools and communities, initiatives for addressing climate change which threatens life, limb and property.
Sering noted over 200 delegates from public and private schools in the country attended Monday’s Greeneration summit.
Among schools that sent delegates to Greeneration were Quirino High School, San Sebastian College, Tarlac State University, Philippine Science High School, University of Santo Tomas, Arellano University, Bataan Peninsula State University, Adamson University, University of the Philippines, Claret School of Quezon City, Philippine Normal University and De La Salle University, she added.(PNA)