Bato dela Rosa wants substance abuse prevention to be introduced to Grade 4 students

A bill seeking to integrate the mandatory substance abuse prevention education in the health curriculum as early as Grade 4 has been filed in the Senate.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police chief, said the current setup, where drug abuse prevention is given to Grade 9 students, could be too late for the child.

“Currently, the K-to-12 curriculum introduces substance abuse prevention in the 9th Grade, which ideally are teenagers aged 15 years old. This introduction, at this stage of formative years, might be too late. They might have been introduced and have started using and abusing illegal substance,” Dela Rosa said in his explanatory note.

“Any efforts of educating them regarding the perils of substance abuse will no longer be of value,” he added.

Because of this, he said, there is a need for children to be equipped with sufficient knowledge and information about the dangers of substance abuse, the ability to resist pressure to use drugs, and the ill-effects to the society of addiction to illegal drugs as early as 10 years old.

“Adolescence is the period where individuals try to be more experimental and starts using illegal substance. As such, education about drugs and other illegal substances and its harmful effects should start before the teenage years,” the senator said.

Under Senate Bill 228, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Health, is mandated to formulate the design and details of the Substance Abuse Prevention Education.

It added that DepEd shall provide training for teachers focused substance abuse prevention that will enable them to select content, strategies, and resources appropriate to meeting student needs. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News