After weeks of interactive and immersive sessions, 25 teachers from Pasig City completed their teachers' training on watershed education as part of the Masungi Georeserve Foundation's environmental conservation initiative.
The Localized Watershed Education Program (LWEP), made in collaboration with the Canadian government through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, aims to equip teachers with knowledge on watershed protection and conservation, so as to better educate their students on environmental issues.
The LWEP was based on Republic Act 9512 or the "Environmental Awareness and Education Act," and the Environmental Education Plan 2018-2040.
"Through this program, we hope to instill in the youth a sense of ownership as stakeholders of the Upper Marikina Watershed," the foundation stated.
"Having met several teachers throughout the run of this program, we recognize and celebrate their role in shaping future generations of watershed champions," they added.
The educators were informed and exposed to the current conditions of the Upper Marikina Watershed, the challenges and realities faced by environmental defenders, the best practices that can be done to protect the watershed, and effective learning techniques to include and apply their new knowledge in their lesson plans.
It included training on how to use the Lakbay Daloy board games, an interactive game-play that teachers can use to entice their young children to learn about the destruction and conservation of nature's waterways.
The training was done through workshops and nature immersion experiences within the georeserve.
Officials from the Pasig chapter of the Department of Education (DepEd) also participated in the learning sessions, particularly the immersion activities at the geopark's Discovery Trail.
Last December 2022, the Masungi Georeserve Foundation signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the local government to pilot the watershed education program in Pasig City.
Beginning in November 2022 up to the present, around 100 teachers, 25 each from Pasig City, Marikina City, and the towns of Tanay and Baras in Rizal Province, have been trained by the foundation in the program.
Complimentary to the training, over 200 Lakbay Daloy board games and 100 learning modules have been distributed in the four cities and municipalities.
Upon completion of the training, the teachers are expected to integrate the modules and learning activities in their classes.
To ensure the effectiveness of the initiative, the foundation is conducting school visits and monitoring to gain feedback from the teachers and the students.
Masungi thanked the Pasig City government, headed by Mayor Vico Sotto, for supporting the education program, as well as being active and vocal supporters of the initiatives made to protect the Upper Marikina Watershed.