DepEd to include climate change and disaster management in K to 12

In a bid to increase awareness of both students and teachers on the effects and emerging challenges of climate change, Department of Education (DepEd) secretary Leonor Briones highlighted the need to review and revamp the curriculum for basic education under the K to 12 program.

Briones said in a phone interview that the review is currently ongoing. And that the DepEd will include the importance of understanding the phenomenon of climate change.

She notes that an understanding of the effects of climate change for members of the community is now more important than ever before, after visiting the areas affected by tropical depression “Usman” in Camarines Sur last week.

“If you will see the landslide, it is the biggest landslide that one can possibly imagine,” she said. “It covered more than five kilometers, so napakalaki talaga at kailangan napaghahandaan yung mga ganito.”

She explains that teachers and school administrators have to be more aware of the effects of climate change in relation to disaster management.

Storm signals not enough to predict damage anymore, due to climate change

“Nakasanayan na natin na storm signals lang basis natin but it doesn’t work that way anymore,” she said. “This time, I personally thought it was just a tropical depression, it will not be as dangerous as a typhoon, but a tropical depression, because of climate change, can trigger damage even bigger or worse than that of the storm,” said Briones.

She also underscores the need for the educational community to be more aware since most schools are the first ones affected by disasters, being they are mostly one-story buildings.

For their part, Briones said that the DepEd will inform their teachers and the general public of how to deal better with disasters, as there is a need to change our outlook.

“We’re not talking about education alone but about the whole country,” she explains. “This does not only affect the private the institutions but also private citizens’ homes that’s why we need to change the outlook that largely, typhoons cause floods and landslides.”