PASIG CITY -- As part of the Oplan Kalusugan (OK) sa DepEd initiative, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched a five-episode webinar series for the National Drug Education Program (NDEP).

Led by the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration (OUA) through the Bureau of Learners Support Services - School Health Division (BLSS-SHD), the webinar series aims to educate the personnel of DepEd on the NDEP amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are urging our schools to intensify anti-drug abuse information in communities as well as mobilization of scout leaders to integrate drug abuse prevention to scout trainings. Your collaboration with us and your LGUs will make sure that our learners will stay away from the danger of drugs,” Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones said.

“The National Drug Education Program is our comprehensive and holistic approach to address the problem of drug abuse. It was designed to enable all sectors to work collaboratively with the school system as the core, thereby unifying all the sectoral endeavors and components namely curriculum; co-curriculum; staff development; parent education and community outreach; and monitoring research and evaluation,” OIC-Director of BLSS, Lope B. Santos III shared.

Livestreamed last Thursday, the first episode of the webinar series titled “Helping Youth Stay Drug-Free Through Drug Literacy” tackled the importance of drug education in helping learners be aware of the harmful effects of drugs.

“The schools are setting for prevention, remember that the family remains the most important protective factor. The most important role of the parents, the responsible adults, teachers, and prevention advocates is to be good role models for our young people,” Health Education professor and ASEAN Director for Training Center for Preventive Drug Education Francis Grace H. Duka-Pante addressed.

The NDEP and Barkada Kontra Droga (BKD) coordinators, teachers, health personnel, and other non-teaching personnel attended the webinar.

The second episode titled “Psychosocial Support for Students at Risk of Substance Use” will air on July 22, 2021, followed by episode three, “Going the Distance: Online Delivery of Drug Education” on August 26, 2021. The fourth and fifth episodes titled “The Implementation Cycle of Prevention Interventions” and “The Importance of Life Skills in Drug Prevention” will be available in September and October, respectively.

“With what is expected of you here, I want you to convince yourself that your voice matters, knowledge will spell out the differences in you. Your role in our campaign against drugs does not have to wait for the future to come. You can help now, do not be afraid to step up because we are in this together,” Dangerous Drugs Board Executive Director Earl P. Saavedra said.

Participants can rewatch the webinars via Facebook live stream on the DepEd Philippines Facebook page or through the recording available at PD-LMS. Certificates and copies of the presentation of the speakers are available after participants have completed the evaluation. (DepEd)