POPCOM launches AHD-SLM, forges partnership with DepEd XII

POPCOM launches AHDSLM, forges partnership with DepEd XII

By: Fitzgerald J. Carmona, POPCOM XII

Koronadal City, South Cotabato - Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) XII and Department of Education XII officially launched the Adolescent Health and Development SelfLearning Modules (AHD-SLMs) and renewed their partnership through the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 09, 2022 at Cinco Ninas, City of Koronadal.

In her opening message, POPCOM XII Regional Director Desiree Concepcion Garganian discussed the pressing issue on adolescent health and development that needs to be collectively addressed, which is teenage pregnancy. She further cited that recent studies show that Filipina girls who give birth in their teenage years—many as young as 10 years old, stand to lose more socio-economic opportunities later in life because they are likely not to finish their education, will not land good jobs, will not be able to save and will have little to no contribution to the overall income of their families.

“Consequently, these young girls will not be able to contribute much to the development of their communities. On a larger scale, if left unattended, the large potential of young women’s contribution to society will not be realized. All in all, this does little to support the government’s anti-poverty drive and the country’s contribution to the realization of the SDG goal of eradicating poverty by 2030”, Director Garganian stressed.

Director Garganian also called on DepEd and other local program partners, to continue working synergistically in raising empowered and resilient young Filipinos. “We want to see them overcome their challenges, prosper in their chosen paths and most of all take their share in the socioeconomic fruits of progress”, she added.

Meanwhile, DepEd XII Director Dr. Carlito Rocafort applauded the initiative of the people behind both agencies in developing the AHD-SLMs and congratulated all the stakeholders behind the project, the students, teachers, and the program partners. He further stressed that the impact of these modules to the learners is immeasurable. And that despite all the challenges and controversies of the subject matter that is embodied these modules, DepEd has labored towards a strong bond of partnership, in the pursuit of delivering basic quality education in the SOCCSKSARGEN region.

In support of the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education program implementation, the AHD-SLMs of POPCOM XII aim to provide information among adolescents and young people on the key concepts and messages of selected sexuality and reproductive health related topics such as puberty and adolescence, developmental tasks, and teen pregnancy prevention. It further aims to encourage adolescents to practice positive health seeking behavior and promote their total well-being.

As part of the next steps, POPCOM XII distributed a total of 3,600 copies of these SLMs to the selected schools from the eight Schools Division Offices in Region XII. These SLMs will also be uploaded into a website for use by schools in the SOCCSKSARGEN region.