REVIVAL OF SCHOOL

INSIDE A GARDEN
BY: JONNADEL SAYCO - PATONONA

PREPARED BY:

PDO 1 SHELDON B. PONDARA

 HISTORY

The School Inside a Garden (SIGA) was first introduced by the Department of Education
Culture and Sports (now DepEd-Department of Education) in the year 1995 through DECS
Memorandum No. 77, s. 1995. It was initiated to support the national goal for a “Clean and
Green” society. The focus back then was to grow flowers, medicinal herbs, exotic and fruit-
bearing trees. Through this program, learners were given an opportunity to care for plants,
flowers, and trees. This will not only provide shade and color to campuses but will also
support one of DepEd’s core values which is being “Makakalikasan”.
 PROBLEM

Unfortunately, however, due to the change in national programs and leaders with different views,
missions and goals, SIGA slowly went out of the picture. Though some activities related to this
program were still done by a few, some learners and even teachers of the new generation do not
know when asked about SIGA.

Young people nowadays have lost a valuable relationship with the natural world. The opportunity
to interact and engage with mother nature becomes less and less available not to mention
children becoming more of a techie person than an environment enthusiast. Often can one see
children holding a hoe or a trowel to till the soil in the garden because most of their time are
spent in front of their gadgets.
 INTERVENTION

The education sector may have seen this pressing issue pushing the way to revive the program.
November 29, 2018, through DepEd Memorandum No. 187, s. 2018, School Inside a Garden was
once again revived. The primary focus of the program is on establishing schools inside gardens
featuring mostly flowering plants and endemic and native trees such as, but not limited to Narra
Tree (Pterocarpus indicus) and Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciose). This will make campuses
throughout the country green and colorful. It also aims to strengthen the integration of
environmental education both in the elementary and high school curriculum to sustain the
environmental consciousness and action among learners and the community. This can be done
by teaching students the concept of the role and value of trees and other natural resources in
maintaining the ecosystem and during the conduct of actual planting of trees and plants.
ADVOCACY

SIGA also aims for every school to plant trees in every available space, thus, the concept of
being a school inside a garden. Other alternative methods like container gardening, vertical
gardening, and other appropriate alternative methods may be used by schools without
available planting space. Schools are also tasked to make an inventory of plants and trees
within the school vicinity which should be properly labeled to serve as part of the school’s
educational efforts. The creation of nurseries for indigenous and endemic trees to serve as
a laboratory for learners is also an aim of this program.

Through SIGA, the importance of schools and their roles in rehabilitating the heavily-
challenged natural environment, and their initiatives toward a sustainable National
Greening Program are also highlighted.
COORDINATION

With the Youth for the Environment in Schools Organization (YES-O), Supreme Pupil
Government (SPG), Supreme Student Government (SSG), and the Advanced Citizen’s
Training Program (ACTP) as the lead for this program, learners will be involved in planting
and caring for endemic flowering trees and plant species within their campuses.

By doing all of these, the values of unity, teamwork, volunteerism, nationalism, and
community service for environmental protection and conservation will be instilled among
the learners’ young minds. As an added benefit they will also get to experience the
therapeutic effects of spending time in green spaces. Just like what the elders say “we
should start them young” until such time that they develop these tasks into habits.
COORDINATION

Advisers of the said organizations on the other hand shall set place a nurturing and
monitoring plan to ensure the survival of the planted seedlings and the sustainability of the
program itself. They may also forge partnerships with other organizations and government
agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the
Department of Agriculture (DA) to assist them in the implementation of the program.
Through these partners planting materials such as seedlings and seedling trays can be
provided. Trainings on caring and nurturing plants can also be included in their
Memorandum of Agreement.
SIGA is a program under the Bureau of Learner and Support Services-Youth Formation Division.
It was also launched and tied-up with the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program. The Gulayan sa
Paaralan Program (GPP) was launched as a partnership between the Department of Agriculture
(DA) and DepEd which aims to plant vegetables to not only green the campuses but also to
support and reinforce the feeding program and income-generating projects of schools.

SIGA and GPP are both programs that lend support and complement Executive Order No. 193-
Expanding Coverage of the National Greening Program from 2016-2028. However, these programs
will be fully implemented in all schools when the current pandemic situation gets better and ends
soon.

Contributing for the greater good of mother nature while letting children learn is a win-win
situation for all humankind.
The general objective of the revised SIGA program is to implement the clean and green campaign
(DepEd Memorandum 77, s. 1995) and establish a school inside a garden featuring mostly
indigenous and endemic trees and flowering plants.

The specific objectives are:

1.to establish and maintain a mostly indigenous and endemic plant garden in public elementary
and secondary schools;

2.to promote the creation of nurseries for indigenous and endemic trees in specific campuses;

3.to inculcate among learners the importance of planting and conserving indigenous and
endemic tree and plant species and their role in the ecosystem;

4.to empower school campuses to become centers of biodiversity and conservation;

5.to serve as a laboratory for learners;

6. to further strengthen and reinforce the integration of environmental education in the
elementary and high school curriculum.

7. to sustain environmental consciousness and action among learners in particular and the
community in general; thereby instilling in them the values of unity, teamwork, sense of
volunteerism, nationalism, and community service for environment protection and
conservation;

8. to highlight the importance of the schools and their significant role in the efforts to
rehabilitate a heavily challenged natural environment and to highlight the importance of the
schools and their significant role as well as their initiatives toward a sustainable Expanded
National Greening Program.
 INDIGENOUS PLANTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Ylang Ylang Gmelina Arborea Waling Waling

bignay tanguile Oil tree Molave tree

 katmon tamanu Kris plant narra

INDIGENOUS PLANTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

nt
p la
er
ch
P it
mahogany tibatib sugarcane
 EXOTIC PLANTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Caladium Humboldtii

Black Prince
Rubber Tree
BAMBINO

Peperomia
Monstera Deliciosa
Puteolata

FITTONIA Philodendron Birkin

 Name of school:
District:
Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR