NGOs partner for climate change education

THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) conducted recently a workshop for curriculum writers on the integration of climate change into the school curricula in Region III.

The workshop was organized in collaboration with Save the Children, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Plan International and International Institute for Sustainable Futures.

DepEd Region III Director Isabelita M. Borres said the workshop was part of the child-centered, community-based climate change adaptation project in the Philippines, funded by AusAID.

The workshop aimed to produce learning kits on climate change for students from Grade 5 to high school.

Borres said “contextualized” learning kits would make it easier to teach children what to do during a disaster.

William Azucena, program manager of Save the Children, said that as climate change was already happening, it was important to include it in the curriculum.

He said self-learning kits for children were important as kids could always bring them home to study. Even when they are not in school, they could continue learning.

He said many areas in Region III were prone to hazards like heavy rainfall and flooding.

Materials had to be child-friendly and easily understood by students, he said. Creating such materials at the regional level was an advantage, because “the first responders in any disasters are the local people,” he added.