Rabies Teacher-Coordinators’ Orientation in Batac City

The province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines has been rabies free for over a year! This is the fantastic news with which Dr. Jeneveve Sulliva, from the Provincial Veterinary Office, welcomed participants to the Rabies Teacher-Coordinators’ Orientation in Batac City on February 7.

The 26 clinic teachers attended the day to learn more about their new role as Rabies Teacher-Coordinators in their respective schools, including how to use the Ilocos Norte Rabies Prevention Program Manual on Grade School Curriculum Integration and Instruction, distributed to each school last year.

These teachers are the link between schools and both the manual and broader efforts to maintain Ilocos Norte’s rabies free status. Their role includes monitoring and supporting their co-teachers using the manual.

The workshop was supported by education experts, Marilou Ofiana, Emelyn A. Dumlao, and Mimi A. Rambayon, who helped develop the rabies education manual. They worked through examples of the lesson guides and how to use them, and they shared tips on how to efficiently integrate rabies and responsible pet ownership into classroom discussions. Our thanks to them and to Ilocos Norte Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Loida Valenzuela and Ms. Mirasol Mangasep of Department of Education Batac City Division Office, who also attended.

Ms. Elaine Llarena, GARC Communication and Education Consultant, and GARC Field Veterinarian Dr. Dianne Licuan were on hand throughout the day to help the teachers gain a deeper understanding of rabies, the program, and how to share this information in their schools.

As part of the activity and to ensure the sustainable use of the manual, the participants were asked to devise an efficient way of monitoring its use. They suggested a monitoring sheet that teachers in the schools complete at the end of each quarter. The Rabies Teacher-Coordinators will then consolidate the data before sending it on to Batac City Division Office.

The Ilocos Norte Rabies Prevention Program Manual on Grade School Curriculum Integration and Instruction was launched and distributed to all public elementary school teachers in the province of Ilocos Norte, including Batac City. The development of this curriculum manual which started in 2012 is the product of concerted efforts of GARC, Department of Education Division (DepEd) of Ilocos Norte, Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), and Provincial Health Office (PHO).