In its greatest effort to finalize all necessary requirements and preparations for the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) implementation, the Department of Education (DepEd) Dipolog City Division spearheaded by the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Virgilio P. Batan Jr. successfully conducted a consultative meeting on CSE pilot school implementation through his representative, Dr. Dr. Monina R. Antiquina, Education Program Supervisor (EPS) in Araling Panlipunan on October 8,2021at Zamboanga del Norte National High School (ZNNHS) Main Campus, Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte as one of the chosen pilot learning institutions to incorporate CSE in the basic education curriculum in region IX.
DepEd Dipolog, together with the representatives of the Zamboanga del Norte Federation of Parents’ Association, Inc. (ZNFEPA), Commission on Population ( POPCOM), Local Government Unit (LGU) of Dipolog city, Department of Health (DOH) and ReachHealththoroughlydeliberated core points on CSE- Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) Program overview, roles and responsibilities of the school system, curriculum implementation, Training Needs Assessment (TNA) for teacher’s capacity/ skills development and program implementation planning.
Making the most out of it, Sir Froilan Morales, an expert fromReachHealth carefully discussed salient matters to prepare, procedures and protocols to follow and trainings to undergo, to guarantee the success of the CSE implementation.He also stressed out the significance and urgency to capacitate not only the teachers but also people from health centers, hospitals, representatives from Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA) and Department of Social Work and Development(DSWD) who will also play an indispensable role as partner-implementers.
Meanwhile, Dr. MoninaR.Antiquina, EPS in AralingPanlipunantook time to suggest the possible incentives such as the provision of laptops to teachers who will be in the frontline in the implementation of CSE as a sort of extrinsic motivation to boost up theirdrive in taking the challenge and responsibility as CSE implementers which was positively taken by our partner agenciesand hopefully be realized on, before or during the actual CSE implementation. Likewise, she then explained the undertaking of CSE in the context of DepEd highlighting the integration of the latter in the curriculum and the crucial challenge to capacitate all teachers through Learning Action Cell (LAC) sessions especially those who are handling kindergarten and the five(5) subject learning areas where CSE will be integrated to wit: MAPEH (Health), AralingPanlipunan, EdukasyonsaPagpapakatao, Science in junior highschool andPersonality Development in senior high school.
On the other hand, to showcase the readiness of the school to implement the program, Dr. Joselito S. Tizon, school principal IV presented a comprehensive CSE action plan which was then benchmarked as the primary basis of their final action plan to be implemented starting off this school year. “This CSE action plan was already presented during the regional CSE forum and had received overwhelming positive feedbacks from the body”, Dr. Tizonadded.
With everyone’s commitment and enthusiasm, the entire consultative meeting, which was also attended by EPSs Zyrine Mayormita, Araceli G. Macasasa, Jessie P. Samaniego, who were in the virtual platform, the Project Development Officers (PDOs) 1, Ma’am Jesel B. Chiu and Sir Andrew Homil G. Elumbaring, Nurse Jan Rina N. Bitancor- Uy of Dipolog city division and some ZNNHS department heads and teachers was of a great feat.
