Health: A key component of MAPEH
Adrian T. Lerit
Amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, the "H" in MAPEH or Music, Arts, PE and Health" has been highlighted as a key component to ensure the wellbeing and nutrition of students against the virus.
Under the “new normal” mode, students’rely on on distance learning modalities such as printed modules, radio or TV-based instruction, and with online distance learning, students continue learning at the comfort and safe environment of their homes.
As such, with face-to-face classes still restricted and suspended, the Department of Education (DepEd) continues the implementation of its feeding program, born from the pre-pandemic School Based Feeding Program or SBFP, even introducing the new Milk Feeding Component.
The feeding program aims to address hunger and encourage learners to enroll; contribute to the improvement of their nutritional status; provide nourishment for their growth and development and help boost their immune system, and enhance health and nutrition values and behavior.
According to DepEd Central Luzon’s Public Affairs Unit, the feeding program serves public school students as well who are deemed to be under “wasted” and “severely wasted” categories based on last year’s health records. It shall provide beneficiaries with nutritious food products— through rationing— for at least 60 feeding days, and fresh or sterilized milk for 50 feeding days. The feeding program has been rolled out in implementing public schools on the last week of November last year.
The nutritious food products being distributed to the learners are based on a localized one-month cycle menu and a regional food supply map developed by the Regional SBFP Focal Person to ensure that these are healthy and nutritious for the target beneficiaries.
On the other hand, the 20 DepEd Schools Division Offices in the region have partnered with the Philippine Carabao Center and National Dairy Authority for the supply of fresh milk for the Milk Feeding Component.
Based on the feeding program implementing guidelines, schools shall strategize schemes to deliver the nutritious food products and milk packs to the beneficiaries in their homes.
Parents may pick up the nutritious food products and milk packs on designated days and time or school personnel may opt to distribute them using school vehicles.
School heads may also coordinate with partners such as barangay officials or non-government organizations (NGOs) to distribute the milk packs to the homes of the beneficiaries.
The DepEd further said it is also looking into establishing partnerships withfarmer-cooperativesandSMEstosupplynutritiousfoodandfreshmilk products to promote local agriculture.
The feeding program complies with the Republic Act No. 11037 otherwise known as the “Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act”, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on June 18, 2020, and was later augmented in the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
--oOo— The author is Teacher II at Sta. Maria High School