National Training Program on Prevention in Schools: The Paraguayan Experience

In 2024, a public call from the Ministry of Education and Science for the contracting of a higher education institution to design and implement a training programme in strategies for preventing psychoactive substance use, within the framework of the Pilar Project, aimed at educators and officials involved in the development of the Sumar Plan.

The Norberto Bobbio School of Government and Public Policy, the host organisation of ISSUP Paraguay, was awarded the contract.

The training programme design included three courses: one for 30 (thirty) technicians from the central administration of the Ministry of Education and Science, who acquired professional skills in school prevention of psychoactive substance use. Another course, aimed at a group of 800 (eight hundred) people from across the country, included departmental education coordinators, educational supervisors, directors of educational institutions, and teachers from teacher training institutes who were trained in the Universal Prevention Curriculum adapted to the guidelines of the Sumar Plan, with an emphasis on school prevention. For this adaptation, we received support from the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR), of which the Norberto Bobbio School of Government and Public Policy is a member. A 196-page Training Manual was developed for these two courses. And a final group of 35 (thirty-five) teachers who work in educational centers with incarcerated adolescents. This last group received training in prevention in the context of incarceration.

For the 800 (eight hundred) group, 25 groups were formed, each with 32 (thirty-two) participants. The trainers were from Paraguay, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Panama, and Mexico, all certified by the Colombo Plan.

ISSUP Paraguay Board of Directors incorporated the three courses into its agenda of activities for the years 2024-2025, deciding at one of its regular meetings on support and certification for the training courses. Two members of the Board of Directors are serving as course trainers.

The course for the 30 (thirty) technicians and the course for the 800 (eight hundred) are coordinated by Dr. Fernando Salazar from Peru, who is one of the trainers. The course for the 35 (thirty-five) is coordinated by Dr. Alba Zambrano from Chile, who is the trainer.

In addition to the three training courses, the Draft Implementation Guide for the Psychoactive Substance Use Prevention Strategy - Paraguayan Educational Model was developed with advice and technical assistance from Dr. Fernando Salazar and a technical team composed of professionals from Peru and Paraguay, in collaboration with the 30 trained technicians from the Ministry of Education and Science. The Manual for Teachers: Preventing and Addressing Drug Use among Adolescent Offenders in Educational Centers, led by Dr. Alba Zambrano, was also developed as a Guidance Manual for teachers in educational centers. These two materials also have the support of ISSUP Paraguay.

The Draft Implementation Guide for the Psychoactive Substance Use Prevention Strategy - Paraguayan Educational Model will be validated in 10 schools in Paraguay during this academic year.

We also held a workshop on School Prevention of Psychoactive Substance Use for the principals of educational institutions where the Implementation Guide for the Strategy for the Prevention of Psychoactive Substance Use - Paraguayan Educational Model will be validated.

Finally, we are visiting each of the ten schools where the validation will take place to meet with members of the ELAP Leadership and Action Team for Prevention from each institution and their strategic allies (National Police - Prosecutor's Office - Court - Municipalities - Governorates - Health Authorities - Volunteer Firefighters, among others).

The launch of the Implementation Guide Project for the Psychoactive Substance Use Prevention Strategy - Paraguayan Educational Model in the 10 schools will take place simultaneously on April 9th at 7:30 a.m., and the graduation ceremony for those who completed the three courses will be held on April 14th at 9:00 a.m. at the Ykua Bolaños Cultural Center.

The three courses are recognized by Resolutions of the Ministry of Education and Science. The three courses will be certified by: the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR), ISSUP Paraguay, Norberto Bobbio, and the Ministry of Education and Science. To qualify for certification, participants had to attend synchronous classes and complete assignments.