DepEd revives ‘School Inside a Garden’ program
The Department of Education (DepEd) has revived the School Inside a Garden (SIGA) program. The move is part of its support to the government’s initiatives in protecting and conserving the environment.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones announced that DepEd Memorandum 187 series of 2018 was implemented through a pilot project last November.
Keeping the Philippines green
According to Briones, DepEd has two complementing programs that will be implemented in schools. One is the Gulayan sa Paaralan program, which started in 2007. The other is SIGA, which was first established by the then Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS) in 1995.
SIGA will focus “primarily on establishing schools inside gardens” that feature mostly indigenous and endemic trees and flowering plants in order to make schools across the country “green and beautiful.”
The program also aims to “sustain environmental consciousness and action among learners and the community.” It should instill in them the values of nationalism, teamwork, unity, volunteerism, and community service.
Through the program’s revival, DepEd hopes to “promote the creation of nurseries for indigenous and endemic trees in specific campuses that will serve as a laboratory for learners.” In addition, it will bolster the integration of environmental education in both elementary and high school.
The program is expected to highlight the important role of schools in rehabilitating a heavily challenged natural environment.
via Manila Bulletin / Merlina Malipot
