INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: THE PHILIPPINE PERSPECTIVE

1. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: THE PHILIPPINE PERSPECTIVE Dr. YOLANDA S. QUIJANO Undersecretary of Programs and Projects Department of Education Philippines

2. OUTLINE • General Information on Inclusive Education Facts and Figures, Policies, Strategies for Disadvantaged Learners: Children with Disabilities, IPs, Muslim Children, Street Children, Abused children • Current Difficulties and Challenges • Lessons Learned • Proposed Initiatives/Recommendations

3. GENERAL INFORMATION onINCLUSIVE EDUCATION Children with disabilities Children of Indigenous peoples and Muslim children Child labourers Abused children Street children

4. FACTS and FIGURES • Children with disabilities who are in school are about 101, 762 (2011-2011). • Children with disabilities are still combating educational exclusion • 97.3 % of them are still unreached. • About 5,916 are mainstreamed in regular classes

5. Facts and Figures • Children of Indigenous peoples number about 12-15 million across the country. • These are spread in seven ethnographic areas with 117 ethno-linguistic groups. • Those in the elementary schools total 639, 483 while 158, 550 are in the secondary schools (2010-2011).

6. Facts and Figures • 140,570Muslim elementary and secondary pupils are attending ALIVE (Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education) in public schools

7. Facts and Figures • Street children are about 246, 000 thousand- 75% are children on the streets; 25% are children of the streets; 70 % are boys • Working children are growing in number • Number of abused children is being tracked down

8. EDUCATION POLICIES • The right to education is a basic human right. • All children and youth shall have access to quality education. • Inclusive education shall be concerned with all learners, with focus on those who have traditionally been excluded from educational opportunities. • Support system shall be organized and delivered holistically.

9. PUBLIC POLICY SUPPORT on INCLUSIVE EDUCATION • The 1987 Philippine Constitution • P.D. 603 - The Child and Youth Welfare Code • RA. 7610 – Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act • R.A. 7277- The Magna Carta for Disabled Persons amended by R.A 9442 • Policies and Guidelines in Special Education

10. PHILIPPINES ADOPTS INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS on INCLUSIVE EDUCATION • UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child (1989) • World Declaration on Education for All (1990) • UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994)

11. INCLUSION DEFINED • Reaching out to all learners • Addressing and responding to diversity of needs of all children, youth and adults • Involves changes and modification in content, approaches, structures and strategies

12. STRATEGIES in INCLUSIVE EDUCATION for DISADVANTAGED LEARNERS The program, curriculum, learning materials, facilities, equipment

13. CHILDREN WITH DISABILITES

14. Education system has full responsibility to ensure right to education Assessment Support System It is equipped and ready to handle diversity through: Flexible modified curriculum , teaching and learning methods Adaptation Augmentation Alteration Remediation/ enrichment Involvement of peers, parents and the community Flexible teaching methods with innovative approaches to teaching aids, and equipment assistive devices and learning resources PROCESS of INCLUSION Responsive, child-friendly environment Professional environment working deliberately and actively to promote inclusion for all

15. Partial mainstreaming towards inclusion - students are educated in regular classes at least half the day - receive additional help or specialized services - pull-out PHILIPPINE MODEL of INCLUSION

16. Full mainstreaming or inclusion - complete regular instruction - receive all special services in general classroom

17. SUSTAINING PROGRAMS for CHILDREN with DISABILITIES • Establishment of 276 Special Education Centers nationwide • Provision of SPED items • Downloading of funds

18. Sustaining Programs for Children with Disabilities • Conduct of training programs for teachers handling children with various disabilities • Conduct of training for school heads and supervisors • Development of instructional materials for children with disabilities

19. Sustaining Programs for Children with Disabilities • Conduct of advocacy strategies like the SPED caravan in regions and divisions without SPED centers or without SPED programs

20. Sustaining Programs for Children with Disabilities • Implementation of various intervention programs, like: Early Intervention Transition program Headstart program

21. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES EDUCATION • Policy actions To provide access to quality basic education To ensure the preservation, recognition, promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples to ancestral domain, cultural identity and heritage • Objective: The National IP Education Policy Framework operationalized in all schools

22. Indigenous Peoples Education Activities • Launching of the Philippine’s Response to Indigenous Peoples and Muslim Education (PRIME)- a facility for IP and ME • Conduct of implementation planning activities for the national, & regional clusters • Celebrating IP month in October

23. MADRASAH EDUCATIONfor Muslim Children • Policy action: To provide acess to quality education To ensure the preservation, recognition, promotion, and protection of the rights of Muslim learners to religious identity and heritage • Objective: Institutionalization of the Madrasah Education Program at all levels in basic education

24. MadrasahEducation for Muslim Children • Development of MadrasahCurrriculum for Kindergarten (Tahderiyyah) • Implementation of the Madrasah Curriculum in the elementary level • Development of the Curriculum in the secondary level • Professionalizing the Asatidz through the Accelerated Teacher Education Program now on its fourth cycle

25. STREET CHILDREN EDUCATION • Enhancing the implementation of the “KaritonKlasrum” project in partnership with the Dynamic Teen Company • Street educator, EfrenPenaflorida awarded by CNN as Hero of the Year • Conducting stock-taking activities in selected sites that will implement the program

26. EDUCATION for CHILDREN SEXUALLY ABUSED • Institutionalization of Personal Safety Lessons in both elementary and secondary schools nationwide • On-going training of trainers for the basic education levels • Coordination with the agencies to ensure the welfare of the sector

27. ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY MODES for DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN • MISOSA- (Modified In-School and Off-School Approach for elementary) • Open High School Program for secondary • Distance Learning • Modular learning • On-line learning • Home-based learning

28. Alternative Delivery Modes in pictures

29. Alternative Delivery Modes in pictures

30. Alternative Delivery Modes in pictures

31. CURRENT ISSUES and CHALLENGES • Increasing the holding power of schools over these children • Making existing resources and other support systems adaptable and suitable to the needs of inclusive education

32. Current Issues and Challenges • Mobilizing parents and other duty bearers in supporting inclusive education • Providing post-school support to fully integrate and enable disadvantaged children to participate in gainful employment or productive work.

33. LESSONS LEARNED Social, Economic, and Financial Aspects

34. SOCIAL BENEFITS • Creates positive social and attitudinal changes in both regular and disadvantaged chidren such as: • Reducing and eliminating prejudices against disabled children • Improving self-concept or self-esteem

35. Social Benefits c.Growth in social cognition • Encouraging greater participation in social progress Challenge • Inclusion may result in overcrowding and lowering of quality of education

36. ECONOMIC BENEFITS • Leads to higher participation rate, cohort-survival or completion rate • There is higher simple and functional literacy rates. • There is higher employment participation rate. • Enable children to become independent and productive in later years

37. CHALLENGES • Inclusion education entails additional resources over and above those provided to regular schools. • Per pupil cost is relatively higher than the regular pupil.

38. PROPOSED INITIATIVES/RECOMMENDATIONS • Ensuring education through early learning intervention • Rationalizing the establishment of more centers: special education centers, community centers, drop-in centers • Capability building for teachers of diverse learners at pre service levels • Adopting equivalency, testing and acceleration programs to diverse learners

39. Inclusion means: I – ntegration N – etworking C – ollaboration L – iving, learning, loving U – tilizing all available resources S – upport and social services I – mplementation of appropriate programs O – rganization of appropriate services N – on stop services to all

40. The challenge for educators is to find ways of sharing expertise and provide wider educational opportunities for the full implementation of inclusive education.

41. Thank You! Maraming Salamat!