DOST: Teachers can be good disaster leaders

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said the Department of Education (DepEd) can play a large role in improving the country’s disaster preparedness by tapping teachers all over the country.

DOST Assistant Secretary and Science and Technology Information Institute (STII) director Raymund Liboro said that the thousands of public school teachers can be developed into “disaster leaders” who can espouse and advocate  disaster risk reduction among students.

Liboro pointed out that the special stature of teachers makes them convincing advocates for disaster preparedness.

“The biggest challenge now is converting risk information to risk knowledge especially on the ground. Our teachers have a big role to play in this,” Liboro told The Star.

“Developing that culture of preparedness is key in making our communities resilient to disasters. Teachers are natural leaders in advancing this culture of preparedness,” Liboro pointed out.

Liboro and a team of DOST STII officers gave a presentation to middle level management officers at the DepEd central office in Pasig City last Monday on their Science for Safer Communities program, which mainly aids a concerned national agency or local government unit identify hazards that they are exposed to, using high resolution, 3D hazard maps and other data of the DOST’s Projects DREAM (Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment for Mitigation) and NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards).