Students may be required to take disaster preparedness course

MANILA, Philippines - College students may soon be required to attend a 25-hour course on disaster preparedness and national security before selecting the National Service Training Program (NSTP) component they will enroll in.

The NSTP replaced the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), making it just one of the three programs open to students.

Its other components are the Civic Welfare Training Service, which encourages students to participate in developmental programs and the Literacy Training Service, which trains students to become teachers of school children and other sectors that need educational training. Army spokesman Maj. Ronald Alcudia said the 25-hour module will be administered by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of National Defense, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

He said a directive from CHED is necessary to implement the program.

“We hope the program would be implemented this school year,” Alcudia said in a phone interview. 

Alcudia said college students will be required to attend the 25-hour lecture regardless of the NSTP component they chose.

“The IRR (implementing rules and regulations) of the National Service Training Program has been amended. The students will have to undergo the 25-hour common module,” he told radio dzBB yesterday.

Alcudia said the program seeks to standardize the NSTP-related lectures in universities and colleges.

“We are continuously coordinating with the school authorities, CHED and TESDA to prepare for the implementation of the program,” he said.

Alcudia said the 25-hour module is relevant as it would make students knowledgeable about disaster response measures.