Teen centers’ MOA with DepEd, OIC Okd

THE 20th City Council in its regular session last Monday presided over by Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez approved Ordinance No. 14694-2024, which authorizes City Mayor Rolando A. Uy to enter into and sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Education (DepEd)-Cagayan de Oro and the Oro Integrated Cooperative (OIC).

The MOA covers the establishment of teen centers at the Bonbon National High School, Bugo National High School, Cagayan de Oro City High School, Kauswagan National High School and Macabalan National High School. The collaboration intends to establish a facility that will provide appropriate sexuality and reproductive health information, skills and services among the youth and adolescents.

Under the MOA, the City with the supervision of the Community Improvement Division will provide trainings, seminar, orientation to the teen center operators and peer educators; assist OIC, their employees and staff during their semi-annual visit to the teen centers; monitor and evaluate the teen center and provide feedback and recommendation/s to OIC for the improvement and betterment of the teen centers, among others.The City will also submit quarterly consolidated report to OIC on the activities, programs and affairs conducted by the national high schools in the teen centers.

For its part, OIC will provide the necessary materials, equipment and capacity building to the identified national high schools, make visitation, conduct activities for the Teen Center Managers, Peer Educators and students such as but not limited to room-to-room campaign for youth savers club program, financial literacy, enterprise development and leadership trainings, Quiz Bee, Sports and talent competition, among others.

Meanwhile, the national high schools will ensure attendance of the teen center managers in the trainings, seminar, orientation conducted by OIC and CID; formulate action plan for the succeeding academic year and submit the same to the CID not later than September of every year and make quarterly inventory of the materials and equipment provided by OIC and conducted research on the impact of an Operational School-Based Teen Center in addressing social issues on school drop-outs, teenage pregnancy, mental health issues, among others. The parties also agreed to give full support and sponsor their activities and programs and to supervise, guide and participate in all affairs of the teen centers for the betterment of the youth and adolescents, among others. The legislation was reviewed and endorsed by the Committee on Education, chaired by Councilor Suzette Magtajas-Daba and Committee on Laws and Rules chaired by Councilor Edgar S. Cabanlas.