DepEd-Benguet to include ‘landslide-readiness’ in school curriculum

Students will be learning more than the usual “duck, cover, and hold” during training drills. The Department of Education (DepEd) will be incorporating capability enhancement training skills in the programs of schools to ensure that students know what to do during landslides and floods.

The extra training drills come in the wake of calamities that recently hit the Cordillera region. And since the “duck, cover, and hold” is applicable during an earthquake, students should also be trained on what they should do before and during a landslide situation, as well as flooding.

DepEd-Benguet Division Disaster Risk Reduction Management officer Nerisa Barbosa said that these resiliency training drills will be included in the programs for students so that they will know how to respond appropriately in the occurrence of landslides and flood.

Preparing students for calamities

Barbosa said the resiliency topics will be integrated into various subjects including Science, Araling Panlipunan, and MAPE (Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health).

“For example, in Science subject, the book explains how dormant volcanoes are, also what to do during eruptions, even during typhoons. Basically, safety is already incorporated in the lessons,” she said.

Barbosa noted that an entire module for the Senior High School focuses on preparedness and mitigation. DepEd is also coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to produce videos and other materials that can be used to teach school children about disaster preparedness and mitigation, specifically for flooding and landslide incidents.

via Philippine News Agency / Pamela Mariz Geminiano