The disaster preparedness program of an elementary school in a remote barangay of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental ranked second in the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Japan Education for Sustainable Development Award.

The Iliranan Elementary School is expected to receive US $1,000 for being second in the search, next only to Myanmar.

The school, located in rebel-infested Brgy. Codcod, San Carlos City, that has 439 students from Kindergarten to Grade VI, with 15 teachers led by principal Gary Magnanao, sent an entry titled “Iliranan Disaster Education Programme and SCAPED – School and Community Always Prepared and Equipped for Disaster”.

Of the 70 entries from Southeast Asian countries that included, Indonesia. Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, 17 came from the Philippines.

The SEAMEO-Japan Education for Sustainable Development honor schools that promote and share best practices of education for disaster risk reduction within schools and prepare strategies and activities. Its theme is “ Education for Disaster Risk Reduction”.

Organizers said all winning schools will receive a plaque of recognition and a certificate for the teachers and students involved in planning and implementing the Disaster Risk Reduction program.

A representative of the winning schools will also be sponsored to participate in the award presentation ceremony to be held at the SEAMEO High Officials Meeting in November 2012 in Thailand.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said all Philippine schools that make an emergency response drill part of their school activity share the honor of the Negros school.

“We have always emphasized that conducting an emergency response drill is not just a matter of compliance, but an activity to be taken seriously to save lives and limbs”, Luistro said.*GPB

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