When one thinks of possible solutions to make education inclusive for all learners, it is often focused on the learning environment itself: availability of learning materials, the effectiveness of a classroom set-up, how learners thrive within the school community, among others. What is often overlooked is its connection with other basic needs that may also need to be addressed. In Timanan Central Elementary School (TCES), School Nurse Jeannefel Blah especially sees how healthcare affects the journey of every learner in education.
Food security, healthcare, and education are connecting aspects of a learner’s education path that Nurse Jeannefel Blah (known as Nurse Jing to learners in TCES) highlights as important to improving the quality of life of learners in the municipality of South Upi. Through the KaISA Project led by the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) and supported by the Australian Government, she is actively working to make education inclusive in South Upi by addressing access to healthcare for all learners.
Investing in learners to become future leaders
Since completing her degree in nursing in Iloilo and going back to her homeland of South Upi, Nurse Jing worked as a School Nurse at TCES for 26 years. Throughout her journey with TCES as part of the KaISA Project, Nurse Jing realized inclusive education is important for schools, especially having connected with learners who study here as she provided school healthcare services to them. In her time as a school nurse, she realized that all learners are unique and must be appreciated for what made them different. For Nurse Jing, it was important to understand and, in the process, learn to love them, to provide them with what they need as an investment in their future.
“’Pag nakikita ko ‘yong work ng teachers, nakakapagod – in giving lectures – talagang masakit sa lalamunan after the whole day of talking. But then, kung maintindihan mo sila and then you invest in children talaga, malaki ‘yong impact sa community,” the School Nurse added.
(When I see how teachers work, it is tiring for them – giving lectures – it really sores their throat after the whole day of talking. But then, if you understand them and then you invest in children, that has a significant impact on the community.)
For Nurse Jing, healthcare was also a way to recognize and respect the rights of every child in South Upi. By educating them with proper healthcare knowledge and how they can practice it every day, they are empowered to actively participate in building a stronger community that provides for their needs so they can enjoy a brighter future.
“Ang mga bata, merong sariling boses, may karapatan sila. And then, by teaching them how to speak properly, how to inform the community kung ano ‘yong saloobin, malaki ‘yong matututunan ng lahat,” she continued.
(Children, they have their own voice, they have rights. By teaching them how to speak properly, and how to inform the community what their opinions are, they will eventually teach the entire community.)
As part of the healthcare program of the school, a child-to-child approach was implemented to teach learners and empower them to express their opinions effectively. Basic training in healthcare practices – such as household chores and self-hygiene – was provided by TCES. Nurse Jing emphasizes this as leadership training for children as they can act as “little teachers” for families and peers. The goal is to mold children into advocates and sources of healthcare practices and knowledge for their families and the community.
Concerns to address to move forward
Nurse Jing is hopeful for the success of the ISCL in TCES for students in the coming years. She believes that this hub will provide more opportunities for learners to develop their potential and help them flourish. She places emphasis on the importance of teaching daily activities like feeding, dressing, and using the comfort room to help learners develop their agency and further provide them with opportunities to advocate for their needs later in life. For Nurse Jing, she sees the involvement of the school community (to which learners and their parents or guardians belong to) as partners and collaborators in the design process of the ISCL essential to making sure that it directly addresses their needs and what they desire to work towards.
For her, among the key issues to be addressed through effective interventions as part of the ISCL is taking care of infants’ nutritional needs during the first 1000 days after birth, as this is directly related to children’s health when they grow up into school age. In this period, nutrition plays a vital role in the child’s neurodevelopment for brain function. In addition, both macro and micronutrients intersect with health and learning; hence, affect the overall development of a child.
“Sana maintindihan ng lahat na during conception hanggang sa paglabas ng bata, hanggang sa before siya mag-aral [na] darating dito sa school, talagang napangalagaan na ‘yong kanyang kalusugan. Para ‘pag dating ng panahon na mag-aaral na siya, kayang-kaya ng katawan niya, ng isip niya, ng emotion niya, na maka-adjust kung ano ‘yong mga kailangan na gawin dito sa paaralan,” the School Nurse denoted.
(I hope that everyone would understand that during the conception of a child until they are born, until before they enter the school system, their health really needs to be taken care of. So that in the future when the child starts to enroll in school, their body, mental, and emotional health can handle what needs to be done in school.)
Nurse Jing sees the establishment of the pilot Inclusive and Supportive Centre for Learning (ISCL) through the KaISA Project as an opportunity to answer BARMM’s call to promote education rights and inclusivity for all learners in the region. The success of this pilot initiative was a direct result of training and capacity building that involved the entire school community composed of educators, leaders, learners and their families, and sector representatives, allowing Nurse Jing to understand the culture of inclusivity that Timanan is striving for. The pilot ISCL designed by the TCES school community demonstrates the importance of inclusive education in the community and how it will effectively target their needs, including healthcare. Recognizing the impact that the ISCL shall bring to their community, Nurse Jing committed to continuously researching and utilizing her time to provide accurate and sufficient healthcare services here.
Nurse Jing, like many healthcare practitioners in the region, believes that healthcare is a key component to creating more inclusive and progressive communities that shall be sustained into the future. Through the ISCL and the KaISA Project, school communities can bring their vision of inclusive education to life for all learners, for all their needs. This is proof that inclusion is only possible by ensuring that all learners are cared for, so that they may focus on creating a future for themselves and their community.