MALAYBALAY CITY – Village officials in San Fernando town, Bukidnon province, are seeking to build a four-classroom building to cater to the increasing number of Lumads or indigenous people (IP) in the area.
Wainwright Abatayo, a town Councilor in San Fernando, said officials of Sitio Kisayab in Barangay Bonacao are asking his help for the construction of additional classrooms for the Panoloan Te Kisayab IP School.
“The location is about 10 kilometers away from the mother school in Barangay Bonacao. The locality has more than 1,000 IP students,” Abatayo said.
Edwin Gurrea, Department of Education (DepEd) focal person for the Indigenous People’s Education (IPEd), said there are 198 IPEd Schools in the entire province. The establishment of IPEd school is mandated by Republic Act No. 10533, otherwise Known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.
The program seeks to establish an educational system that is more culturally sensitive and responsive to the different contexts of schools and communities in the country, as well as recognize learning institutions that cater to IP learners.
However, Gurrea said the lack of classrooms in IPEd schools remains a challenge for DepEd to bring the program to all IP learners in the province.
In addition, some IP schools are also facing accusation as fronts for the communist rebels.
Early this month, Gurrea appeared before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to confirm the legitimate status of Panoloan Te Kisayab IP School in response to the latter's request for new classrooms.
As of now, Gurrea said DepEd is hiring IP teachers for IP schools in Bukidnon.
“The hired teachers must know the language in the immediate community because they will use that language as a medium of instruction,” he said. (PNA)
