SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2021
ASEAN (WURI entry).mp4ASEAN FESTIVAL 2021
The ASEAN Festival 2021 is a platform created to showcase the rich culture of ASEAN through collaborative ASEAN partnerships.
TAU has spearheaded this event to link its local partner universities with international universities, as a form of its mentoring program.
Through this program, TAU created a pathway of meaningful and functional partnerships and considered networking and collaboration as one strong resolve to develop institutional scaffolding and mutual cooperation thereby integrating international, intercultural, or global dimensions in the various activities included in the implementation of this collaborative activity.
GLOBAL DISCOURSES 2021.mp4
Global Discourses in Agriculture, Engineering and Technology, Education and Veterinary Medicine:
A Mission Towards an Adaptive Society with Sustainable Resources
A discourse happens when people discuss parts of their practice, projects, culture, endeavors and vision that with it, more are able to identify with the concepts. Stakeholders involved, are able to communicate and involve a global perspective - hence, a global discourse.
The Tarlac Agricultural University opens a space for interdisciplinary dialogue for the year 2021. It revolved around the discourses that featured and tackled relevant learnings, purpose and vision as well as the University and its partners’ pursuit of a collective effort to adapt to the effect of the COVID19 Pandemic and more importantly, an encultured practice to achieve and promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The Global Discourses in Agriculture and Engineering and Technology both aimed to focus on raising awareness in localized sustainability of agricultural systems and use of resources.
Global Discourses in Agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is at the forefront of the University’s efforts in addressing the challenges of climate change and food security during the pandemic and beyond. Thus, this short course aimed to provide awareness, insights, concepts and practices in sustainable agriculture which can help drive and catalyze cange in participant’s perspectives, agricultural practices and lifestyle towards sustainability. This endeavor aimed to contribute in the attainment of SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 - Climate Action and SDG 15 - Life on Land.
Global Discourses in Engineering and Technology. A sense of responsibility and a call to action can be handed over through education and awareness of the stakeholders. The Global Discourses in Engineering and Technology centered on the sustainable use of resources for a revitalized generation with the motivation that every engineering field, professionals from private or public sectors, academicians and even students can contribute towards creating a place to live where there is still abundance of resources in the future. With the use of resources in a sustainable manner, initiatives with engineering aspects help to achieve SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 13 - Climate Action.
Adapting with the COVID19 Pandemic.
The Global Discourses in Education and that of Veterinary Medicine were both motivated by the impact of the COVID19 pandemic around the world.
Global Discourses in Education. As a Center of Excellence in Education, TAU’s College of Education is committed to quality education. It strives to strengthen its collaboration with its partner institutions to gain maximum benefit from best practices among others. As the pandemic has brought a major shift on how education is delivered to its clienteles, the Global Discourses in Education is envisioned to help students and faculty to revisit what they already know and add to their reservoir of knowledge and skills so that they will be able to keep up to the changes happening in this ever dynamic world. It focuses on four themes: (1) language and culture, (2) gender-sensitive and inclusive education, (3) education technology and flexible learning, and (4) mental health and well-being. Said themes were deemed as the most important aspects that students and teachers need to master for quality education to be realized.
Global Discourses in Veterinary Medicine. The emergence of the COVID19 pandemic disease has taken the world by surprise that mass outbreaks were reported in all countries around the world. The pandemic’s impact was not only on human health but also on the food supply chain. The Global Discourses in Veterinary Medicine came about into the International Summer Short Term Course 2021 with the theme “Advances in Small Ruminant Production and Breeding” which was motivated by the need to introduce advanced technology to enhance the performance of livestocks (e.g. goats and sheep) to cope with the changing levels and types of demand from different sectors. This ensures that food production systems are resilient, flexible and fair in the face of future challenges.
FOSTERING MENTAL WELL-BEING AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: TOWARDS A MENTALLY FLOURISHING COMMUNITY
In the midst of a global health crisis due to the pandemic COVID-19, people around the globe are concerned with measures to prevent from being infected by the virus. People are seriously performing precautionary measures recommended by health authorities such as frequent handwashing, social distancing, and disinfecting. However, the World Health Organization (2020) recognized that this pandemic is also generating stress throughout the population. Likewise, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) reiterated that fear and anxiety about the disease can lead to more serious mental health concerns.
Globally, the mental health issues associated with COVID-19 include stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, anger, fear, and denial (Roy et al., 2020). A similar finding in a systematic review of studies in China, Spain, Italy, Iran, US, Turkey, Nepal, and Denmark found a relatively high rates of depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic symptoms in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic (Xiong et al., 2020). Additionally, a research in China indicated a moderate to severe prevalence of depressive symptoms and anxiety during the initial phase of the outbreak (Wang et al., 2020). In the United States, many adults reported that the pandemic caused negative impact on their mental health and well-being such as difficulty sleeping, appetite disturbance, consumption of alcohol and other substance, and worsening of current chronic conditions, whereas large number of young adults reported anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide (Panchal et al., 2021). Further, another US study showed that mental distress significantly increased in New York, Massachusetts, California, and Washington (John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2020).
In Europe, the World Health Organization (2021) stated that elevated stress and anxiety are the most common psychological impact of the pandemic. The organization reiterated that depressive symptoms, alcohol and drug use, self-harm, and suicidal behavior are also expected to rise due pandemic related consequences. Additionally, in a national survey conducted during the initial phases of the pandemic in Europe, one third or more of the adult population reported distress. As cited by the World Health Organization (2021), a survey conducted by the International Labor Organization showed that young people in Europe aged 18-29 years are reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety (WHO, 2021).
A study on Asian populations revealed that Thailand, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Philippines were among the Asian countries with highest stress, anxiety, and depression scores during the time of COVID-19 pandemic (Wang et al., 2020). In the Philippines, in a study of less than 2000 respondents, 28.8% had moderate-severe anxiety levels; 16.9% reported moderate-severe depressive symptoms; and 13.4% had moderate-severe stress (Tee et al., 2020). Similarly, Montano and Acebes (2020) found that pandemic stress has devastating effects on mental health of the Filipino respondents.
The mental health problems reported from the above cited studies are found to be associated with COVID-19 related factors such as the threat of exposure to the virus, prolonged home-stay, contact with people with COVID-19, unemployment/ loss of income, concerns for family members, exposure to news concerning the pandemic, and discrimination (Xiong et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020; Panchal et al., 2021; Tee et al., 2020).
Despite the alarming rise of mental health problems among Filipino due to the pandemic, there is scarcity of mental health facilities and mental health professionals in the country. In fact, there are only two tertiary care psychiatric hospitals in the Philippines- the National Center for Mental Health in NCR and the Mariveles Mental Hospital in Bataan. Further, the ratio of mental health professionals per population in the country is low, at 2–3 per 100, 000 population (WHO & Department of Health, 2006, cited in Lally et al., 2019).
In response, the Philippine Mental Health Act or R.A. 11036 was signed into law in 2018 which affirms the basic right of all Filipinos to mental health. Chapter IV, Section 15 and 16 of the said law stipulates provision of mental health services at the community level and community-based mental health care facilities. However, three years after the passage of the law, mental health services and facilities at the community level remain limited. Hence, the Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) launched the program entitled “Fostering Mental Well-Being amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic” which aimed at providing services geared toward a mentally flourishing/healthy community.