The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, Jan.24 kicked off the national launch of the School Mental Health Program and the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 at Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City.

With the theme, "Batang Matatag: Nourishing Mind and Strengthening Bodies," the department underscored its focus on addressing the undernutrition of our school children.

DepEd explained that the SBFP provides "hot meals and nutritious food products" to improve the "participation in classes, completion of elementary education, and overall nutritional status" of students.

Positive results from the previous program cycle were shared by the department, with over 57 percent of learners reporting feeling more "enthusiastic and energetic" in school after being part of the program, and over 52 percent feeling they are experiencing weight gain.

Additionally, the program contributed to a strengthened immune system in over 51 percent, improved body condition in 45 percent, and a "more eager to study" attitude in over 37 percent of participants of the school-based feeding program.

The department also pointed out  the collaborative nature of the program with nutritious food products approved by the Department of Science and Technology's Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) which ensures they meet the nutritional needs of students.

Building resilient minds

Focusing on the School Mental Health Program, on the other hand, which is an amalgamation of efforts and initiatives of DepEd are intended to build the capacity of the leaders to become more resilient students.

“This is the first time in history that we have a special provision exclusively for mental health,” it said.

Citing departmental statistics, there has been a decrease in reported suicides among learners, dropping from 575 to 128, a 65.57 percent decrease.

In addition, there has been a 24 percent increase in preventing suicide attempts that have been prevented with the help of guidance counselors and health teams.

DepEd has trained over 400,000 personnel as psychological first-aid providers and has over 10,000 psychological responders who are ready to support during emergencies.

Meanwhile, Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte highlighted the importance of nutrition in students' motivation, thinking skills, behavior, and overall health.

“Today, I'm happy to announce that all program components, including hot meals, nutritious food products, and milk are accessible to our learners,” she said during the event.

She emphasized the commitment of the agency to provide learners with basic mental health services from guidance counselors, psychometricians, psychologists, and allied health personnel.

The improved school-based feeding program now allocates a budget of 11.7 billion pesos for 2024 to 2025, which she explained this increase aims to make each meal more cost-effective.

Moreover, while recognizing the achievements, DepEd acknowledged that more work needs to be done to assess and assist those in need.

With this, Duterte still expressed immense pride in the school-based feeding program, which not only "improves students' health but also supports local farmers, food producers, cooperatives, and small and medium enterprises.”