Schools to teach the value of rice

The Department of Education (DepEd) has urged all public and private schools nationwide to take part in activities marking National Rice Awareness Month in November. INQUIRER.net PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Citing all the rice amounting to more than P7 billion that goes to waste yearly, the Department of Education (DepEd) has urged all public and private schools nationwide to take part in activities marking National Rice Awareness Month in November.

The activities, according to a memorandum from Education Secretary Armin Luistro, should teach students the value of the staple and all about the hard work farmers put in to produce the staple.

In the memo, Luistro cited a finding by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) which said that Filipinos wasted nine grams or two to three spoonfuls of rice each daily in 2008 and this could have fed 2.5 million people in one year.

Rice is generally wasted when too much of it is cooked, served and then some of it is left uneaten.

Luistro said the monthlong activities aim to promote the “rice-ponsibility” of every Filipino which are: To stop wasting rice; to switch to the brown variety; to mix rice with other staples for better health, and to be mindful of the hard work the farmers put in to produce the crop.

As one of the activities for National Rice Awareness Month, Luistro encouraged all department officials, employees, teachers and students of both public and private schools nationwide to launch information campaigns about the staple and to recite the “Panatang Makapalay” (Rice Pledge) at the end of the flag-raising ceremony every morning in November.–Jeannette I. Andrade