Believing that inclusivity should be at the center of a “meaningful and effective” basic education, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Friday, May 19, vowed to strengthen the efforts of the Department of Education (DepEd) to promote inclusion through language.

(DepEd / MB Visual Content Group)

During the first-ever Language and Inclusion Summit, Duterte said that DepEd “stands with the most profound optimism that we will be able to surmount the challenges that are besetting Philippine basic education.”

The two-day summit, held at the Manila Mariott Hotel in Pasay City, aimed to present empirical data on the importance of language and inclusion and to “promote a better understanding of the first language-based multilingual education and the role of languages in promoting inclusion and literacy.”

Duterte said that Summit also underscores the “collective task” of mainstreaming inclusive education which “brings us to the reality of the complexity of the basic education landscape.”

As she delivered the keynote speech, Duterte explained that DepEd and its partners are not only “here to ensure the efficient, effective, equitable, and timely delivery of basic education to Filipino children” but also to ensure that education is inclusive which “embraces everyone [and] ends the culture of othering.”

“I believe that basic education only becomes truly meaningful and effective if we can put inclusivity at the center of what we do — if we only make inclusivity the heart and the soul of our reforms and efforts to improve basic education,” Duterte said.

Role of language in promoting inclusion, literacy

DepEd spearheaded the summit to promote a better understanding of the role of language in promoting inclusion and literacy,

The Summit also envisions the “true realization of inclusion in education by placing a premium on the richness of our language and celebrating the diversity of our country.”

The summit was made possible through the Curriculum and Teaching Strand and in partnership with USAID.

It featured plenary sessions, panel discussions, presentations, and exhibits that aimed to promote a better understanding of the role of language in promoting inclusion and literacy.

As part of the summit, a Language and Inclusion Resources Exhibit was also mounted which showcased initiatives and good practices on the implementation of language and inclusion policies and programs such as the Mother-Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), Special Needs Education (SNEd), Madrasah Education, Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd), and Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Stronger ‘MATATAG’ Agenda

Duterte, in her speech, noted that the Summit is also in line with DepEd’s “MATATAG Agenda” which “does not forget, discriminate against, or disregard” learners in the marginalized sector.

The program to strengthen literacy among Filipino children without discrimination, Duterte said, “should lift them up, take them away from the sidelines, bail them out from their conditions of hardships and poverty, and ultimately — help them improve their lives.”

During the summit, Duterte also reiterated DepEd’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, and the Education 2030 Framework for Action, which devotes efforts to ensuring quality and equitable education.

“We have made significant strides to strengthen our inclusion programs, and we vow to continue these efforts until everything is in place for our learners to flourish, so that they have equal opportunities to learn, grow, and be in a positive and non-threatening environment,” Duterte said.

Recognizing that any undertaking cannot succeed if performed single-handedly, Duterte also appealed to the collective effort of stakeholders to have “our sights set on an active call for inclusion.”

“To all of us, let us never dim the lights of inclusive education,” she added.