THE DEPARTMENT of Education launched a five-episode webinar series that aims to educate its personnel on the National Drug Education Program amid the coronavirus 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 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,” Lope Santos III, Bureau of Learners Support Services officer-in-charge director, said.

The first episode of the webinar titled “Helping Youth Stay Drug-Free Through Drug Literacy” was livestreamed on July 15, 2021. The importance of drug education in helping learners be aware of the harmful effects of drugs was the topic of the webinar.

Francis Grace Duka-Pante, director of the ASEAN Training Center for Preventive Drug Education, said schools play an important role in the prevention of drug use among learners but parents play a greater role.

“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.” Duka-Pante said.

The NDEP and Barkada Kontra Droga 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.