To help transform national systems, strengthen capacity, and empower children to reduce the number of school days that learners lose due to the impact of hazardous events, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Information System (DRRMIS).
In partnership with Save the Children Philippines and Prudence Foundation, DepEd launched the DRRMIS which is an effective information management and communication system that will increase the safety precautions of all schools in the country.
DRRMIS, DepEd said, is a product of the Education Safe from Disasters (Comprehensive School Safety Ecosystems) Program. Former DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua explained that the initiative is part of DepEd’s commitment to ensure the “safety and protection of our learners, personnel, and schools.”
DRRMIS, he added, will also help “build a resilient education sector through timely and accurate data gathering and decision-making.” The program developed three applications for disaster preparedness and response as part of the information system.
The first app is the Rapid Assessment of Damages Report (RADaR) which is a school-level reporting tool that provides rapid information on schools’ damage and needs in the first 72 hours after a disaster. DepEd launched the RADaR app in September 2020 and it has been used in ten hazardous incidents since then.
The School Watching Application (SWApp), on the other hand, is a student-led hazard mapping checklist that aims to raise learners’ awareness of hazards within and around their schools.
Meanwhile, the Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) Monitoring Tool is a device schools use to assess their compliance with the CSS Framework as they implement safety initiatives. The app provided schools and DepEd officials with online resources and training to better understand the applications and system.
DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) and the Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS) facilitated the project that began in 20 schools divisions of Region 3 (Central Luzon).
Now in its third year, DRRMIS is ready for a nationwide roll-out in phases.
For Save the Children Philippines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alberto Muyot, the development of this innovative DRR information management system “will help ensure quality, consistent, and timely data collection resulting in better plans and programs for children’s safety from all hazards.”
Pru Life UK President and CEO also shared that supporting programs and initiatives that reinforce disaster resilience of Filipino families is a part of their important advocacy.
Prudence Foundation Executive Director Marc Fancy added that they have long been supporting disaster risk reduction and that the initiative will “bring about transformational change for children and education resilience in the Philippines.”
As part of the launch, DepEd’s partners turned over some technology devices to support the use of the DRRMIS such as units of televisions, laptops, desktop computers, and tablets.
The recipients of these gadgets were the DRRMS Central Office, Region 3 pilot schools, and Region 5 School Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Coordinators.
To date, RADaR has been used by more than 21,000 schools across the 17 regions in the Philippines. The program aims to reach all 47,000 schools nationwide --- benefiting more than 20 million students in the future.