• Education center for Lumads soon to rise in Davao City

  Filed under dchs88
  Dec 9

  Education center for Lumads soon to rise in Davao City
  MEDCo/MindaNews / 07 December 2005

  DAVAO CITY — Construction work for the P2.2 million worth facility designed to serve as center for indigenous people’s (IP or Lumad) education in Davao region has started.

  The Institute for Indigenous People’s Education (IIPE) will soon rise on a 400-square meter lot located inside the Davao City National High School (DCNHS) campus.

  The IIPE’s permanent office is expected to provide a centralized house for researches and initiatives that will enhance participation of different schools in promoting a culturally sensitive environment for indigenous people in the region.

  The IIPE was established on 30 July 2004 in response to the educational needs of the IP’s children and youth, and aims to develop a curriculum that showcases IP education in public and private schools.

  The institute is managed by a consortium led by the Department of Education (DepED), in partnership with several agencies and organizations such as the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), MindanaWon Intercultural Dialogue, Mindanao Coalition of Development NGOs, Assisi Development Foundation, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and Lumads Development Inc., with funding assistance from the

  Philippines-Australia Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) Project of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

  Secretary Jesus Dureza, chair of MEDCo, lauded the IIPE initiative as it directly supports the government’s thrust of strengthening indigenous people’s education in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Ten-Point Legacy Agenda and the Mindanao NATIN Program.

  “Improving access to basic education for our indigenous peoples through IIPE initiative is very much in line with the national government’s agenda of bringing peace and development in Mindanao by addressing imperatives for education in the island’s most deprived sector,” Dureza said.

  The construction of a permanent IIPE site was implemented following Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of a resolution that sought for the establishment of the IIPE building inside the DCNHS compound.

  Part of the objectives of the IIPE is the development of information materials significant to the curriculum in order to heighten awareness of teachers and students on indigenous people’s culture and tradition. The IIPE will serve as a repository of indigenous materials that will display the intricate craftsmanship of IP groups in Mindanao.

  IIPE stakeholders will also conduct research activities that will significantly contribute to effective learning strategies that can be adopted by schools.

  At present, there are 20 pilot schools adopting the IP curriculum in Region 11. Among the schools that will initially showcase indigenous materials of Mandaya, Ata and Bagobo tribes are the Caraga National High School in Davao Oriental, Tibi-Tibi Elementary School in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, and Atan Owe Elementary School in Toril, Davao City.

  Activities already undertaken by the IIPE include the creation of a technical working group on the IP curriculum, consultation workshop, study tour to existing IP learning institutes in the country, write shop on curriculum framework, and trainers training on the implementation of IP curriculum.

  It is expected that with the integration of IP education in the school curriculum, unity and cultural diversity in Mindanao will be strengthened further as commonalities and respect, rather than differences in culture and tradition of the island-region’s 1.5 million IPs are highlighted.

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