CLOSURE. Jenelieto Atillo, spokesperson of the Department of Education 11 (Davao Region), reads the agency's decision ordering the closure of 55 Salugpongan schools in the region on Monday (Oct. 8, 2019). The decision was based on the findings of the five-man fact finding committee created by DepEd-11 in August to investigate Salugpungan schools for regulatory violations and alleged links to the communist rebel movement. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY -- The decision of the Department of Education-Region 11 (DepEd-11) to shut down the 55 Salugpungan Ta'tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center Inc. (STTICLCI) has drawn mixed reactions, with several sectors applauding it while others remain critical.
DepEd-11 on Tuesday decided to close down 55 Salupungan schools in the region, three months after suspending the school management's license to operate for various violations and for its alleged links with the communist rebel movement.
Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib said the closure is a proof that the government is "really working for the good of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities."
Jubahib said that Salupungan's learners would be assured of a better future if they are catered to by DepEd-run schools.
“This is a big help to the IP learners and this will be a start for a better future for them,” he said.
Part of the key findings of the DepEd-11 fact-finding team showed that STTICLCI students do not have learner's reference numbers (LRN), a violation of the requirement of DepEd Order 26 series of 2015.
Also, the fact-finding team discovered that STICLCI has misrepresented its enrolment data, and that the data contained in the document submitted to the DepEd did not match with the records in the DepEd learner’s information system.
Datu Lumunsad Sibogan, village chieftain of Sto. Niño in Talaingod town in Davao del Norte, said Tuesday he agreed with the DepEd-11 decision, adding that the tribal elders in the area have long known that STTICLCI did not follow the standards set by DepEd.
“It (the Salupungan schools) should be abolished. We are happy that they (DepEd) have totally shut down these schools and now we will be assured that our children will have a bright future under the DepED,” Sibogan said.
Maj. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., commander of the Armed Forces' Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said that they believe the DepEd did a "comprehensive investigation and due diligence" in inquiring into the activities of Salugpungan schools.
Santos said the DepEd-11 decision took into account “the requirements of these groups to operate or run a private learning institution, be it an IP education or religious, formal or non-formal."
Not everyone was elated with the decision, however.
The Kabataan Partylist slammed the closure order, saying the STTICLCI has been persistent in complying with all the necessary requirements stated in the guidelines for tribal schools.
“When did military personnel become evaluators of school performance? Why are they deciding for matters where school children are involved? Under the Duterte's fascist rule, it seems that the military is taking over every role, including school administration,” the Kabataan Partylist posted on its Facebook page.
Likewise, Save our Schools Network cast doubt on the fairness of the fact-finding body formed by DepEd-11, saying the investigators deliberately ignored the merits of the arguments of the Salugpungan schools.
“The "fact-finding team" failed to even visit one of the Salugpungan schools to check on the accusations. They only set foot on Nasilaban, Talaingod but did not proceed to the schools. Basically, there’s no investigation that took place,” a statement posted by the Save our Schools Network on its Facebook page said.
STTICLCI, meanwhile, has called on DepEd to "reexamine" the closure of its schools.
"Solutions to complex problems, such as these closures are trying to address, cannot be one-note -- they require study, cooperation and a proper assessment of a community’s needs and problems. As such, government agencies must work in tandem to ensure all rights are protected and fulfilled, without sacrificing one for another," the STTICLICI said in a Facebook post. (PNA)
