Empowering Schools with One Health: Insights from the Leaders Behind the Initiative
- SEAOHUN
- Mar 28
- 5 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
In an era where human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected, integrating One Health education into school curricula is a crucial step toward a healthier future. Recognizing this, SEAOHUN, SEAMEO TROPMED, and the Department of Education, with support from Chevron, have been working together to mainstream One Health education in the basic education curriculum of the Philippines.
To understand the significance of this initiative, we sat down with Dr. Ma. Sandra B. Tempongko, Deputy Coordinator of SEAMEO TROPMED Network, Dr. Margarita C. Ballesteros, Director IV at the National Educators Academy of the Philippines, and ASEC. Georgina H. Yang, Assistant Secretary for External Partnerships and International Cooperation at the Department of Education of the Philippines to discuss how this project is shaping education, empowering teachers, and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Q: Why is integrating One Health education into school curricula so important?
Dr. Tempongko: One Health recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent. Understanding of the interdependence of these three will facilitate early development of promotive and preventative behavior of everyone. School plays a key role in the development of positive attitudes and behaviors that can help them in making decisions later in life. One Health-themed lessons and perspectives train young minds to look more deeply into the causes of social and health challenges, in addition, students can bring these concepts home and to the greater community.
Dr. Ballesteros: Integrating One Health education into school curricula is crucial because it helps students understand the interconnectedness of human health, animal health and environmental health. With the holistic approach, it will equip learners with the knowledge and skills to address global health challenges such as pandemics, climate change, food security among others. It will also help build awareness of preventive measures and responsible behaviors that can be passed on from learners, teachers to the community.
ASEC. Yang: Many of the challenges we face today are interconnected. One Health Education promotes systems thinking – it allows us to see the connection of human health with animal health as well as planetary health. When we enable learners to understand these linkages, we allow them to have a better understanding of adaptive challenges and an ability to create more sustainable solutions. One Health Education serves as a very good case study and exercise in building critical thinking among learners – an essential skill that all learners must master.
Q: How does teacher feedback shape the curriculum to ensure it fits their classrooms?
Dr. Ballesteros: Since teachers are the ones implementing the curriculum daily, their insights help refine instructional materials, teaching strategies, and learning objectives. Regular teacher feedback creates a cycle of curriculum refinement, ensuring that teaching materials are relevant.
Dr. Tempongko: Teachers’ feedback is very relevant in shaping a curriculum that fits the classroom as well as the students’ level of competencies. They are the ones inside the classroom and know best the motivation and interests of the students as well as effective strategies, teaching-learning activities, that will enable a positive learning environment for the students.
ASEC. Yang: Teacher feedback ensures that content is appropriate based on local contexts and learners’ abilities. It also ensures that is it feasible given their available resources and time. It is necessary to even go beyond teacher feedback and engage teachers in every step of the way, including the initial stages of development. This will lead to stronger ownership and buy-in among teachers who are the front liners of delivering the curriculum. It will also ensure better learning outcomes and achievement of the learning objectives.
Q: What are the key factors in making this initiative sustainable?
ASEC. Yang: Collaborative and participatory approaches in the development of modules and materials will help ensure that this initiative will be sustainable. In addition, engagement with local stakeholders such as city, municipal and barangay governments could help amplify the lessons and apply them in everyday life for learners to observe its impact and appreciate its value. Developing policies to institutionalize these efforts would also be useful.
Dr. Tempongko: Based on experience, a number of key factors contribute to the sustainability of this initiative. Foremost is gaining the acceptance of policymakers by demonstrating its relevance and alignment with the national education agenda. The active participation of school officials in all related activities is crucial, as their engagement fosters long-term commitment. Equally important is ensuring that classroom teachers are both interested and competent, highlighting the need for continuous capacity building. Teaching and learning activities should be tailored to the appropriate grade-level competencies and supported by adequate reference materials. Additionally, establishing a strong mentorship and support system, especially in the initial stages of implementation, is essential to guide teachers and reinforce best practices.
Dr. Ballesteros: Sustaining an initiative that has created a good impact needs the following factors, alignment of such an initiative with the existing agenda of the administration, strong participation of multi stakeholders’ engagement- government and public private partnerships, accepted by the program implementors both national and local levels, available materials are ensured for the use of the schools and communities.
Q: What are the next steps for expanding One Health education?
Dr. Tempongko: The next step is actually to ensure that the reference materials/modules specifically the One Health concepts to be mainstreamed are aligned with the national curriculum and the competencies required for the entry points in the curriculum for each grade level. This alignment with the national curriculum and learning competencies will ensure that the recommended One Health concepts can be mainstreamed seamlessly in the national curriculum and will ensure the classroom implementation.
Dr. Ballesteros: To effectively expand One Health education, a strategic multi sectoral approach is needed. The Deped should formally integrate One Health into the K-12 curriculum, strengthen multi-sector collaboration, partner with other national government agencies and engage universities, andresearch institutions. Capacity building for school leaders and teachers is also another step.
ASEC. Yang: A learning and sharing forum among government and non-government partners could help in expanding the reach of this important initiative. To make this meaningful, a robust process documentation and data collection on the pilot implementation of One Health education should be done so that it could be analyzed in preparation for replicating it and scaling it up to other schools and divisions. The Curriculum and Teaching strand, which has been actively involved in the process could also recommend enhancements and tweaks to existing modules based on the learnings and lessons from the pilot. The training of teachers through the National Educators Academy of the Philippines could also enrich the insights on this initiative and expand its reach as well. These are all possible through the technical expertise of SEAMEO TROPMED and SEOHUN as well as the support of Chevron.
The success of this initiative highlights the power of collaboration and the dedication of schoolteachers, principals, government agencies, and organizations working toward a healthier future. With Chevron’s support, SEAOHUN and SEAMEO TROPMED’s collaboration, and the Department of Education of the Philippines ’s leadership, One Health education for all is becoming a reality—empowering schools, equipping students, and strengthening communities. This marks a crucial step in integrating One Health into schools, ensuring lasting impact for generations to come.
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