BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the Environment Management Bureau (EMB), in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd) and other government and private sector partners will conduct the 2015 National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools.
The search is in response to the Republic Act No. 9512 also known as the National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008. It aims to encourage schools/ academic institutions to become more actively involved in environment issues at a practical and local level while also developing skills and understanding among the students, faculty and school administrators in initiating active responses and increasing community awareness and participation in environmental concerns.
According to Valeria Gullod, Education Supervisor for Science of DepEd- Mountain Province, the participants of the said search are public or private elementary and secondary schools province wide.
The schedule for district selection in Mountain Province is dated on March 18-20, 2015. On April 6-8 of the following month, a validation team from DepEd, DENR, LGU’s and NGO representatives will be going to the different municipalities for the division wide selection of winners to compete in the regional level. One school from the elementary and one from the secondary.
Gullod said that the deadline for submission of entries for division winners to DepEd School Division Office (SDO) is on or before April 10, 2015. The selected entry for elementary and secondary school will be submitted by the SDO to EMB Regional Office on June 1, 2015.
Regional finalists are scheduled to submit their tarpaulin designs from July 8-19, 2015. All winning entries for each category will be displayed during the national awarding ceremonies to be held on November 15, 2015, in time for the celebration of National Environmental Awareness Month.
Meanwhile, DepEd officials here are hopeful that Mountain Province will reach the nationals as it will be recalled that during the last conduct of the said activity last 2013, Cagubatan National High School of Tadian was one among the top five national finalists.
By Erwin S. Batnag