MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Oct. 6 (PIA) -- School children in the province will benefit from the Essential Health Care Program (EHCP), a national flagship health program of the Department of Education (DepEd).
The EHCP which consists of preventive interventions to improve child health was officially launched today at Bacolod Central Pilot School in Bacolod Kalawi town, this province.
Spearheaded by the DepEd in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the launching was held in cooperation with the provincial government, and the Fit For School Inc., a non-government organization that works closely with the health and education sectors, various development agencies, and private partners to effectively promote, implement and sustain the EHCP in public elementary schools.
Fit For School, Inc. Program Coordinator Jennylyn B. Aguinaldo said the EHCP will be piloted in seven schools divisions in ARMM, five of which are from Lanao del Sur and that 25 out of the 35 school-beneficiaries are located in the province.
Meanwhile, the program includes the implementation of the proper daily soap hand washing and daily fluoride tooth brushing, which were demonstrated to the school children.
It also includes the mass bi-annual de-worming of children, as well, as improving water and sanitation facilities in public elementary schools and day care centers.
“This simple and cost-effective program has been proven to be effective in reducing the spread of infectious diseases and rate of tooth decay among children, ultimately creating positive impacts on a child’s school attendance,” she said.
She said the scaling-up of the EHCP in the ARMM is also related to the Basic Education Assistance in Mindanao (BEAM) program and made possible with the support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
During the launching, EHCP packages, consisting of toothpaste, toothbrush, and soap were turned-over to the Bacolod Central Pilot School.
To formalize the commitment to implement and sustain the program in the province, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by the representatives of the provincial government and Fit For School Inc., as well, as the Schools Division Superintendents of Lanao Del Sur I-A, I-B, II-A, II-B, and Marawi City Division.
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