As part of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE)’s initiative with the support of the Australian Government to promote inclusive education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through the KaISA Project (also known as the Inclusive Schools Approach), identifying and locating learners with functional difficulties throughout the region was found to be a priority. To address this, the Child Finding Activity – dubbed as the 20-Day Campaign to Reach Every Child – was organized across all school divisions in the region among which is the School Division Office (SDO) of Lamitan. The implementation in SDO Lamitan was led by Team Leader Ma. Cristina Delos Santos, along with 10 Field Enumerators (composed of educators and school staff). In 20 Days, the team had unearthed many untold stories of children in the Bangsamoro.  

Challenges to reaching every child in Lamitan  

The Field Enumerators of Lamitan experienced many challenges in the pursuit of their goal. Heavy rains, impassable roads, poor internet connection, and power outages were among the difficulties that they had endured.   

However, the major difficulty that they encountered was some families feeling reluctant to take part in the survey, especially given that the members of the team were considered outsiders to their community. To address this barrier between them and the community, the team cooperated with the local community leaders to bridge the connection that they needed.

Eventually, the community warmed up to them, with parents of children with functional difficulties even taking the initiative to pave the way towards gathering the data they needed, acknowledging that this was vital to identify the issues that hinder the children of their community from pursuing education.  

Meanwhile, Badjao children also experienced bullying from their peers, discouraging them from going to school. Some also identified the trauma caused by family conflicts as a struggle that they dealt with. The combination of all these difficulties contributed to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.   

Members of indigenous groups, especially their children, have experienced historical marginalization that has led to their lack of access to education. Teacher Cristina details these factors: economic poverty, child labor, and geographic isolation. These barriers to education are further compounded by the lack of teachers to serve in impoverished and isolated communities.   

The campaign gave Teacher Cristina a new perspective on what it meant to reach every child through the Child Finding Activity and how it directly addresses the barriers to quality education that indigenous learners encounter. By providing a platform to identify, provide referrals and interventions for learners and teachers alike, it is an opportunity to strategize providing not only educational opportunities but also interventions for poverty that can improve their quality of life such as financial assistance from the Ministry of Social Services and Development.  

Teacher Cristina is dedicated to generating more programs to coach and mentor more educators and school staff to enhance what they had achieved within 20 days. Recognizing that this is only the beginning of making education more inclusive in Lamitan, she is now committed to furthering the reach and impact of the Inclusive Schools Approach.   

Teacher Cristina thinks the activity was the first step in generating programs fitted for learners’ educational and intersectional needs. For her, aside from the campaign, there should also be intervention and assessment in regular schools for more programs promoting inclusion for all learners to be implemented effectively.  

“[The 20-Day Campaign to Reach Every Child] is still our obligation. While we had served [by] enumerating learners in barangays, it was found out that in regular schools, we had learners [who were manifesting functional] difficulties that [needed] to be served prior to addressing needs of regular teachers who are already in mainstreamed classes,” Delos Santos added.   

With the efforts done by SDO Lamitan to provide quality inclusive education to the learners of Lamitan City through the Child Finding Activity, it is important that all sectors of the community must also contribute to make education reach all children and provide effective programs to address their needs.