Bill seeks more funds for special education schools

MANILA, Philippines - Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano has filed a bill seeking additional government financial assistance for the education of children with special needs.

Under Senate bill 3226 titled as “Children with Special Needs Education Fund Act of 2012,” Cayetano proposes the allocation of 10 percent of the Special Education Fund for special education centers or schools.

The senator said the bill also seeks to encourage synergy between local government and Department of Education (DepEd) to support special education centers and schools.

The bill also seeks to provide an increased fund allocation from the LGUs’ special education funds to support programs of the Department of Education for special children.

“It is a state obligation to provide special nurturing for the education of children with special needs as they are equally entitled to the same free basic education guaranteed by the Constitution to children under regular school systems,” Cayetano said.

Citing statistics, at least 10 to 13 percent of the country’s children population suffer from physical, mental, emotional, behavioral disabilities.

The affected population is not enough to be covered by only 155 special education centers with 1,176 teachers in the country, effectively reaching a mere three percent or 168,858 students with special needs.

Cayetano is also asking education officials from national and local government units, as well as corporations doing corporate social responsibility programs, to allot more funds for special education for children with special needs.

“Ten to 13 percent of the population will surely impact what kind of tomorrow we will have,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano noted that children with special needs are in difficulty, and to handicap them further by not providing the kind of education they need, will only harm these children and their families.

“(It) will also harm us as a community and as a nation,” he added.