DepEd allocates P100 M for Indigenous Peoples Education program

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education has allocated P100 million for the agency’s Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) program this year.

The funding will be used for capacity building to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by teachers and personnel across DepEd offices and units in order for them to be effective IPEd implementors.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro also urged yesterday private institutions to further improve their programs for indigenous peoples.

“DepEd recognizes the important contribution of Indigenous Peoples Education programs being implemented by non-government and community-led institutions in improving access to culture-based basic education services,” Luistro said.

DepEd will start accrediting non-profit private learning institutions serving IP learners this year to further boost the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPed) in the Philippines.

He said the agency will provide technical assistance to accredited private learning institutions.

“Any non-profit private learning institutions serving IP learners may file for an application for recognition subject to the guidelines that the Department has,” Luistro said.

Applications for recognition shall be submitted to the Regional Office concerned between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 this year.

Private institutions seeking recognition will pay a one-time application fee of P1,500.

“Once accredited, a recognized institution shall follow the curriculum standards approved by DepEd,” Luistro said.

However, he said the agency will allow flexibility in terms of curriculum scope and sequence, content and competencies, teaching-learning methods, learning assessment, involvement of elders and other community members in the teaching-learning process, management process and design of the school calendar.

The Philippines has an estimated 14 to 17 million IPs belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

Republic Act 8371, also known as the “Indigenous Peoples Rights Act,” which was enacted in 1997, recognized the right of IPs to manage their ancestral domains and has become the cornerstone of current national policy on IPs.