To produce well-informed and vigilant consumers in the marketplace, the Department of Education (DepEd) will integrate practical approaches to consumer law concepts to students in public and private secondary schools this 2010-2011 school year.

This developed after the DepEd, in cooperation with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), on Monday launched the Integrated Consumer Education Program (ICEP).

A flagship program by DTI, in collaboration with the DepEd, the education program aims to enhance public awareness of the need to be properly informed on consumer laws and instill among students their rights as consumers.

Education Secretary Mona Valisno said the Integrated Consumer Education Program aims to increase consumer awareness and education in the youth, through the development of education materials on consumer welfare protection.

“The consumer education will also teach students on how to become intelligent and responsible consumers,” she said.

During the formal launch, the DTI handed over 98 Lesson Exemplars (LEs) and 10 modules on consumer education to Deped for implementation.

These LEs and modules were developed, in collaboration with DepEd’s Bureau of Secondary Education (BES) and the Alternative Learning System (BALS).

The joint undertaking of the two departments is in compliance with the mandate of Republic Act (RA) 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines. The DepEd and DTI will faithfully implement the provisions of RA 7394. “The best way tensure that our consumers’ rights and responsibilities are well-protected is through education,” Valisno said.

The lesson exemplars and modules include lessons on fair trade laws, such as the Consumer Act of the Philippines, the Price Act, and the Standards Law, as well as consumers’ rights and responsibilities.

The lesson exemplars and modules that teachers will use were also developed, in collaboration with the industry, through the Philippine Product Safety and Quality Foundation, Inc. (PPSQF) and sought assistance on product expertise.

Valisno said that this step is considered a milestone in the education system of the Philippines because “it will be introduced for the first time in the high school system, both in private and public schools nationwide.

The lesson exemplars will introduce to the students consumer protection, based on fair trade laws. These will be incorporated in eight learning areas of the secondary education – English, Mathematics, Filipino, Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies), Values, Science, Technology and Livelihood Education, and Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH).

The modules, on the other hand, will focus on product standards designed for mobile learners or out-of-school youth on the secondary level. “These are step-by-step guides on quality and safety specifications of critical products in the market,” said Valisno.

The Integrated Consumer Education Program will be included in the eight subjects of first to fourth year high school students, and the LEs will also be piloted in 115 schools all over the country.

“After one year, DepEd will finalize the writing of the lessons and will subsequently institutionalize the first year exemplar by turning the program over to DepEd’s Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE),” added Valisno.