Teachers of tribal schools said they would request for a dialogue with incoming President Rodrigo Duterte to craft a framework on community education for Indigenous Peoples and farmers. (Earl O. Condeza/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY – Teachers of tribal schools said they would request for a dialogue with incoming President Rodrigo Duterte to craft a framework on community education for Indigenous Peoples and farmers.
Arjay Perez, secretary general of adhoc committee of the Association of Community Educators (ACE) said they want to have a dialogue on providing services for community education with the presumptive President.
Perez said they would tell Duterte that the issues they would present are not for educators, but for the students and the community they are serving.
The newly-formed ACE, composed of community educators in Mindanao, prepared a six-point agenda hoping for the incoming administration to consider.
These are:
1) Stick to the earlier pronouncement of suspending the K-12 program under the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum Framework.
2) Suspend the Whole of the National Initiative approach (WNI) which aims to undermine and discredit community schools by establishing military-instigated schools in hinterland villages.
3) Stop the killings, vilification and harassment of community and lumad schools administration, teachers, staff, and students.
4) Provide protection and safety of volunteer personnel and teachers delivering education to remove and highly militarized areas.
5) Facilitate the return of the community members who are still at the evacuation center and are forced to establish makeshift classrooms and held alternative classes.
6) Provide government subsidy to community and lumad learning institution.
Perez said the K-12 is not appropriate for Lumad education.
On a news report last May 2015, said that Duterte questioned the implementation of K12 and said that it should be optional.
Last week however, he said he conferred with some education experts and admitted he has vacillated on the issue, but would still study it.
Meanwhile, Rius Valle of Save our Schools Network in Southern Mindanao said that the current administration “left a big wound” to the students and teachers of community schools.
“This is a big challenge for the next administration given his pronouncements against K-12 and other government policies on education, the education of President Benigno Aquino vs the education provided by NGOs to the lumads,” he said.
“K-12 only benefits foreign countries for it offers courses that will serve the needs of the global market. While in Lumad schools, the students are taught to improve the lives of lumads that will serve the nation, not the foreigners,” he said.
“That is why we are telling the incoming president that we are willing to unite to help in giving suggestions regarding the improvement of IP education. When he (Duterte) was still a Mayor, he has been supporting lumad schools,” he added.
Currently, the supposed members of ACE is the existing 500 volunteer faculty and staff of 160 community schools in Mindanao. (davaotoday.com)
