ADDRESSING UNDERNUTRITION WITH ‘GULAYAN SA PAARALAN’

The author is Principal

JUANITO L. RIGOR

‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’aims to address undernutrition and short-term hunger. This school-based feeding program is implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), through the School Health Division-Bureau of Learner Support Services (SHD-BLSS) to address undernutrition and short-term hunger among public school children.

Under the program, all schools are asked to establish and maintain the ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’as a source of ingredients for the feeding program.

The program primarily aims to improve the nutritional status of the 4,257 elementary students by at least 70 percent at the end of 120 feeding days, by eating fresh and chemical-free vegetables planted and harvested by their parents and teachers.

The DepEd, to complement ‘gulayan’project, has also approved the implementation of the school-based feeding program (SBFP) which aims to benefit nearly 2 million malnourished and underfed school children. The number of program beneficiaries, particularly wasted and severely wasted Kindergarten to Grade 6 students, increased this year compared to last year’s figure of approximately 1.1 million children.

Wasting is described by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) as low weight for height resulting from acute significant food shortage or disease.

According to a June 29 DepEd order, this year’s SBFP aims to nourish and inculcate positive health values and habits on 533,425 severely wasted and 1,385,039 wasted Kindergarten to Grade 6 pupils in all public schools nationwide.

It directs all schools to set up and maintain the “Gulayan sa Paaralan (School Vegetable Garden) Program” as a source of ingredients for the SBFP. It also tasks them to “encourage the families of the beneficiaries to have their own home gardens so that nutritional improvement is maintained at home.”

Primarily, it aims to increase school attendance by 85 percent. Citing a 2015 impact study by the Philippine Institute of Developmental Studies, the DepEd said that in the past six years since the SBFP was implemented, 73 percent of the undernourished student beneficiaries had normal nutrition by the end of 120 feeding days or four months.

“School attendance was also noted to have improved and is averaging 98 percent. The children were observed to have better class participation and exhibited positive health habits such as washing of hands before and after eating, toothbrushing and general good grooming behavior,” the DepEd said.

The DepEd further observed that the Gulayan sa Paaralan and SBFP worked best with school health programs such as deworming, clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

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I of San Vicente Elementary School, Sto. Tomas District

CAROLINA MATITO ABARIENTOS

The old 10 year education cycle in the country has been viewed insufficient to give Filipino students a higher quality education and to respond to global standard thus in 2012, a recent change in Philippine educational system was implemented and it was legally enacted into a law after.

There are those who disagree and question of whether or not to implement this major transition but others believe that it is indeed a great chance to raise the level of the country’s education into something world class.

The slow-growing and limited job opportunities in the country have resulted to the increase of labor immigration. Filipino graduates are competing in qn increasingly global job market however the shorter basic education in the country has always been the key factor why they lagged behind other job seekers.

The new educational system leads the graduates to join the workforce right after they have finished grade 12. As a matter of fact, K-12 provides the Filipino graduates the essential competencies, skills and values they must possess in order to land to better and legal job opportunities anywhere in the world.

The additional two years also show ls the effort of the government to meet the basic requirements so as to make certain that Filipino professionals will not stand under the ceiling especially when working in foreign countries and will be entitled to the commensurate pay and perks of other professionals abroad.

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The author is SST I at Betis High School