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/ Inclusion Education, Barriers and Challenges: The Philippine Experience32

INCLUSION EDUCATION, BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES:THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE

Eden O. Kelemen

The Philippine Womens University JASMS, Quezon City, Philippine

INTRODUCTION

Special Education started in the Philippines in 1907 with the establishment of theSchool for the Deaf and Blind which had initially ninety-two deaf and one blindstudents. Today, the Department of Education has identified other types ofchildren with special needs belonging to various categories such as LearningDisability, Mental Retardation, Behavior Problem, Orthopedically Handicapped,Autism, Speech Defect, Chronically ill, and Cerebral Palsy.

As of SY 2007-2008, the enrollment of children with special needs in both publicand private elementary school was 92, 429 of which the majority 45 % or 48, 441were identified with Learning Disability and 13% or 14, 222 with MentalRetardation. In the SY 2006-2007 there were 4, 673 Special Education teachers.There were 151 SPED centers in 2006-2007, 158 in 2007-2008 and 217 in 2008.In the Philippines, the Department of Education (DepEd), believing in the fullrealization of the potentials and development of children with special needs, hascreated the Special Education Division under the Bureau of ElementaryEducation. Its ultimate goal is the integration or mainstreaming of learners with

special needs in the regular school system and eventually in the community. Itaims to develop the maximum potential of the child with special needs to becomeself-reliant and to be able to provide him with opportunities for a full and happylife.

The Philippines, being one of the signatories of the Salamanca Framework ofAction on Special needs of Education, has adopted its principle of equaleducational opportunities for all children regardless of their physical, intellectual,social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions (Salamanca Framework 1994).The 48th UNESCO International Conference on Education held in 2004 had for

its theme Inclusion-The Way of the Future. This was attended by heads ofeducation from different governments, the Philippines included. At the end of theconference, they affirmed that inclusive education is fundamental in achievinghuman, social and economic development. It clarifies that inclusion is aboutteachers:

1. Recognizing and appreciating the diversity of the learner by maximizingthe participation of all pupils/students and developing their potentials.

2. Rejecting segregation or exclusion of learners due to ability.3. Making learning more meaningful and relevant to all.

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In response to the global thrust of Inclusive Education, the Secretary of theDepartment of Education issued Dep. Ed. No. 72 s. 2009 entitled Inclusion Rateof Children. It states that SPED in the Philippines has only served 2 % of the 2.2million children with disabilities and that they live without access to their right to

education. As such, the Department of Education will urgently address theproblem so that these children will receive appropriate education within theregular or inclusive classroom setting. He came up with a comprehensiveInclusive Program for children with special needs which is divided into theInitial, Transition and Inclusion phases.

Furthermore, the inclusion of children with special needs (CSN) in the regularclass came about from the idea that to meet the educational needs of thesechildren in the Philippines, inclusive education (IE) will be the most practicalsolution. However, the implementation of IE may not be that simple because it is

bound to face difficulties, setbacks and challenges.

BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

Studies and researches have shown that the implementation of IE in thePhilippines faces many barriers and challenges despite the full support of theDepartment of Education. The writer, upon analysis, believes that first andforemost, one of the barriers to its successful implementation could be the lack ofclear concept or understanding of the IE. Different policies, experts and schoolshave their own views and interpretations and therefore, have their own ways andprograms of implementing it. In some cases, teachers interchange the wordsintegration, inclusion and mainstreaming. Another concept of inclusion is no pullout nor shadow teaching and individualization within the class to attainsuccessful implementation of IE (Camara, 2005). Others think that CSN canonly join their regular class during recess, music and physical education, whilethe general concept of inclusion is that these students should be included intogeneral education classrooms , whether or not they can meet traditionalcurriculum standards.

Moreover, it is perceived that another barrier to the successful implementation ofIE is attitudinal. The study of Mercado (2002) looked into the social acceptance

of children with special needs by their regular peers , 90 respondents, randomlyselected regular students in Grades 4, 5, and 6. The focus of this investigation issocial acceptance of CSN (i) as a classmate, (ii)) as someone who needs help, (iii)as a group mate, and (iv) as a playmate. Findings showed that acceptance of theCSN as a classmate ranked first, as someone who needs help ranked second, as agroupmate ranked third, and lastly, as a playmate ranked fourth and the leastaccepted because of the CSNs difficult behavior, cannot follow rules of the game,slow and poor performer that may cause the team to lose in the game. Overallfindings revealed that of the 90 respondents, 58% socially accepted while 42%rejected the included CSN. (Mercado, 2002) This study, therefore, shows that

regular pupils are not yet ready to totally accept CSN in an inclusive set up.

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Moreover, another critical factor to the successful implementation of IE is theperception of principals and teachers since they are the ones directly involved inany change in the educational system.

The study of Tsang (2004) focused on the perceptions of 30 principals and 300regular teachers regarding the inclusion of CSN in the regular class. Results of thestudy showed that the respondents various perceptions on the different aspectsof inclusion may be attributed to the following factors : their lack of exposure tospecial education and special learners, lack of appropriate training, big class size,(40-50), insufficient funding from the local government and their concern for theadverse effects of inclusion to the regular pupils that they are currently handling.Likewise, parents may not like CSN in class because regular students might beneglected and slow learners will perform poorly. Majority of the respondents werenot in favor of inclusion and were not willing to teach special learners in their

regular class. They believed that the segregated setting is still the best for CSNand that SPED teachers are the most effective teachers for these learners.However, more than half are willing to work with Sped teachers while majorityare willing to go through in-service training. However, even if they are not fullysupportive of inclusion education, they will follow the policy of the Departmentof Education and will be willing to admit special learners in their classes forhumanitarian reasons (Tsang 2004).

Since one of the setbacks seen in inclusive education is the regular and SPEDteachers needs and difficulties in coping with CSN, the appropriate or adequatetraining of these teachers was surveyed in the study of Pascual (2003).Respondents were 14 regular teachers and 14 SPED teachers coming from 2regular schools and 1 SPED Center. Results of the investigation showed that allthe 14 regular teachers or 100% of them have no MA units in SPED, thus theyhave inadequate knowledge and skills in IE. However, out of the 14 SPEDteachers, 1 finished MA, 9 have MA SPED units, 2 have no MA units at all and 2have MA units in other fields. Out of the 14 SPED teachers, majority haveinadequate knowledge on the process of inclusion, lack knowledge on assessmentof CSN, on legal bases of special needs and inclusive education , as well as IEmodels and practices.

Findings also showed that regular teachers have not developed the proper traitstowards CSN such as patience, empathy, alertness, resourcefulness, whereas,SPED teachers do possess them. Also, there seemed to be no planned trainingfor teachers on inclusive education in the district and division levels. The studyconcluded that both regular and SPED teachers seemed to exhibit difficulties inhandling CSN due to inadequacy of knowledge and skills in handling them in aninclusive set up (Pascual, 2003). Therefore, to make inclusive education work,teacher training for both the regular and the SPED teachers should be givenpriority as this would help lighten the burden of teachers dealing with CSN in aninclusive set- up.

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In consonance with the Education for All (EFA) Policy, the plight of CSN in therural and remote areas cannot be ignored. Thus, a research was done by Yap(2007) which looked into how school-based management promote SPEDprograms in local schools, specifically rural schools. Respondents to the

questionnaires were 4 division supervisors, 7 school principals and 12 teacherswhile for the interview and Focus Group Discussion, there were 3 supervisors, 11principals and 11 teachers. Respondents came from the 8 Dep Ed divisions allover the country. Results showed that the barriers to the successfulimplementation of IE were:

1. The poor economic conditions of the students resulting to absenteeism,drop-outs and poor academic performance.

2. The large class size (45-50) makes it difficult for the teacher to attend to 1or 2 students with behavioral learning needs.

3.

The lack of SPED-trained teachers resulted to discontinuing their SPEDinclusive education program.4. The high turn-over of school principals due to promotion or retirement

without training an under study caused also the discontinuity of theprogram.

5. The failure to include regular teachers in the trainings developed negativeattitudes towards the program.

6. The lack of involvement on the part of some parents because they haveother children to take care of or some families still keep their children athome because they consider having a special child as shameful.

Moreover, this study also showed that there have been successes in theimplementation of IE. In schools where the head welcomes students with specialneeds, encourages collaboration among teachers and cooperation amongstakeholders, IE is successfully implemented However, in schools where the headdoes not have orientation nor positive attitude towards CSN, success is verylimited. (Yap, 2007) Indeed, the principals, as school managers, play a verysignificant role in managing the school, and that the success of the IE programsto a large extent depends on their endeavor, creativity, resourcefulness andleadership.

As a whole, the researches mentioned above showed the setbacks and barriersthat could lead to the failure in the realization of a meaningful IE program asenvisioned by the Department of Education. However, lately, the Dep EdSecretary posed challenges to all those involved in IE from the national leveldown to the classroom teacher and they will serve as the direction for SpecialEducation in the country. They are as follows:

1. Strict implementation of inclusive education.2. Reduce attitudinal barriers of parents, community and schools towards

children with disabilities.

3. Prolong the holding power of regular education schools over this children.

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4. Make existing school facilities, curriculum, teaching approaches, schoolorganization and management, and other support systems adaptable andsuitable to the needs inclusive education.

It is sincerely hoped that these challenges would not remain mere challenges butcould be met through the unified efforts of all those concerned. And to quote,Some children are victims of fate, Let it not be said that they are victims ofneglect.

IINCLUSION EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINE WOMENSUNIVERSITY-JOSE ABAD SANTOS MEMORIAL SCHOOL(JASMS), QUEZON CITY

The Elementary and High School

The Philippine Womens University is 90 years old (1919) and the first universityin the Philippines founded by Asian Women. It should be noted that it is the firstschool to offer Special Education as part of its Psychology course. The PWU has acampus in Quezon City. Its elementary and high school is called Jose AbadSantos Memorial School (JASMS) which is located in the same campus.

At present, JASMS has 125 special children from nursery to high school. Theyhave different cases: mental retardation, learning disability, autism, etc. Some arein full inclusion while others are with the regular students in non-academicsubjects and pulled out in certain academic subjects where they are brought tothe resource center.

Majority of the teachers in JASMS have been there for 10 years or more and thus,already used to teaching and handling the behavior of CSN. When these childrenmanifest tantrums, they can be controlled because of the teachers differentstrategies and techniques to calm them down. In the regular classroom, a childwith special needs is assigned a buddy who will look after him/her if he/she needsanything. This is a very concrete approach in teaching values because the buddyapplies the values of responsibility, thoughtfulness and caring for the classmatewith special needs and bonding develops between them. Teachers are very

understanding of the CSN and they observe that these children improve in theirsocialization skills because they are socially accepted. They love going to school,they are rarely absent. They are very friendly and loving.

The Tertiary

Three years ago, the writer conceptualized a Post High School TransitionProgram (PHSTP) for the high school graduates because they have nowhere to goThey are not capable to finish a four year degree course to be professionals. Mostoften, they are just made to stay home and deteriorate and become a burden to

the parents. What will also happen to them when their parents are gone,

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especially those who have no siblings? PHSTP aims to develop the students self-esteem, and self-confidence, to make them self-reliant, productive, andemployable, thereby, to enjoy a better quality of life. The PHSTP is an answer tothe parents needs and one way of alleviating their fears and anxieties on the

future of their CSN

The curriculum is for two years and trimestral. The first phase or the first twotrimesters is exposure to college life where they are included with the regularcollege students in Religion, Computer, Personality Development and NationalService Training Program. For English, Math and Science, they are pulled outbecause they will not have the capacity to comprehend lessons in the college level.In the second phase, they are given hands-on training as aides in the office,library and classroom. Students are also exposed to performance arts: singing,dancing and theatre and to visual arts, drawing, painting and the arts. One

trimester is devoted to cooking, handicrafts, entrepreneurship and homemanagement .After all the exposures, the last trimester is spent on intensivetraining according to their observed interest or line of expertise. After the twoyear training, they are given certificates and they can now seek employment.

There are barriers observed in the inclusive education in college such as theinability of the professors to handle students with special needs because theyhave the tendency to treat and grade them as regular students. Their classmates,who came from different high schools in Metro Manila find them weird. Collegestudents, as well as college professors, are given orientation on how to deal withspecial students at the beginning of the trimester. Moreover, these students withspecial needs , because of their age, 20 years old and above, have also thetendency to develop crushes with the opposite sex from the regular or specialclasses. Oftentimes, they are referred to the Guidance Office.

Last year, the first batch finished the program. Out of six, two are alreadyemployed as teacher aides. One is being considered to help out in the office or inthe library. Two are twins, assisting in their family business which is a coffeeshop.

Although there are barriers and challenges, the PHSTP has its share of successes..

Their parents are very appreciative of the program and find it commendable. Andthe great success maybe attributed to the great improvement in the studentspersonality. The feeling that they are in college, wearing the college uniformmight have helped in the building of self- confidence, the raising of self esteemand the belief that they can do something such as paint, cook, do handicrafts anddance, sing and act before an audience. They have become sociable, they lovegoing to school and most of all, they feel happy when they are in school. Andregarding the program, a guardian has this to say,

Kari is a special child. As her uncle and guardian, I want the best for her

particularly in terms of education an institution that could provide herthe method of teaching appropriate for her kind. As far as the family is

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concerned, PHSTP has made a tremendous difference in her life. Mr.Lito Jocson

And finally,

As educators, as teachers of the Filipino youth, the future of our greatnation, we have the moral duty to ensure that the youth is given theeducation that they deserve the education that will make them

productive Secretary Jesli A. Lapus.

REFERENCES

Camara, Erlinda, F. 2005. Program modification for children and youth with specialneeds. 2nd Edition. Quezon City: P. Mont Publisher.

Mercado, Ma. Salud Alberto. 2005. Social acceptance of special students by their regular

peers in a mainstreaming/inclusion class. Unpublished Masters Thesis.University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

Pascual, Nancy C. 2003. Needs-based training program for teachers on inclusiveeducation. Unpublished Masters Thesis. Philippine Normal University. Manila.

Tsang, Nonette Garcia. 2004. Principals and regular teachers perception of inclusion.Unpublished Masters Thesis. University of the Philippines. Diliman, QuezonCity.

Yap, Ingrid. 2007. School-based management: Promoting special education programs inlocal schools.Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. University of the Philippines.Diliman, Quezon City.

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