Making inclusion happen in education is a responsibility that when faced with its nuances becomes difficult to accept and commit to. In a country where inclusive education has just begun to emerge with the recent passage of the Inclusive Education Act or Republic Act 11650 in March 2022, it is indeed daunting for anyone to face this challenge.
This was the position Klyssa Mascardo found herself in when she was assigned to be the pilot Inclusive and Supportive Centre of Learning (ISCL) Coordinator in Timanan Central Elementary School (TCES) as part of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education’s (MBHTE) initiative, supported by the Australian Government, to implement the Inclusive Schools Approach (ISA) or the KaISA Project across the region, starting with their school community.
Learning to love being an educator
For Teacher Klyssa, becoming an educator did not come easily to her. Choosing to be a teacher was then only a way to earn a living. Having graduated with a degree in special education, it seemed like the obvious choice for a job. As time went by, she grew to love the profession and it went beyond simply earning money, and towards making a difference.
“Na-realise ko rin na ang ganda pala ng profession na ‘to, kasi hindi lang isang tao ang ma-totouch mo yung buhay, kundi ang dami mong pwedeng mabago sa isang community.”
(I realised that this profession is good because I will be able to touch not only one life, but instead change a lot of things for the better in one community.)
When the KaISA Project was eventually initiated through the investment of the Australian Government, Teacher Klyssa was assigned to co-design the pilot ISCL in TCES. This began her exposure to the concept of inclusive education and how it applies to her community. The more that she learned, the more that she saw that inclusive education was the solution to her school community’s barriers to education. This pushed her to continue the work that she was doing – especially with the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many children decided to quit school because learning became too difficult for them. Many encouraged her to try a different job that would better serve her needs; but because of the barriers to education that she saw in her school community through the KaISA Project, it was something she could not do.
“Na-[realize] ko na ‘wag [iwanan ang pagiging guro]; kasi dahil sa ISCL, dahil sa inclusive education, na-realize ko na ang dami pa palang hindi talaga nakakatanggap ng education na dapat na nakukuha nila. So baka mas marami pa akong matulungan na imbes na mag-quit ako… dito mas maraming bata, mas maraming tao ang pwede kong ma-serve.”
(I realized that I shouldn’t quit being a teacher; because of the ISCL, because of inclusive education, I realized that there were so many who do not receive the education that they should be receiving. So perhaps there I could help a lot more people instead of quitting… here, there were a lot of children, a lot of people that I could serve.)
Inclusive education’s impact in TCES
Implementing inclusive education oftentimes involves a meticulous process that invites you to deeply reflect on the meaning of inclusion for your own community. This is especially important because defining inclusion can vary from community to community.
Teacher Klyssa, together with other select educators from the TCES school community, underwent many trainings and workshops that encouraged them to learn the fundamentals of inclusive education and how they could apply it as contextualized and effective inclusive practices. Through this, they learned that inclusive education does not directly equate to simply letting every kind of learner enroll.
“Pero hindi pala ganon. Kasi sabi nga along the trainings, sa lahat ng mga orientations, seminars na naibigay sa amin, doon na namulat na ay hindi lang pala siya na sabi na, ibigay ko lang ‘to, ibigay ko lang yan basta-basta. Kundi kailangan mo siya tutukan simula sa umpisa hanggang sa ma-achieve mo yung goal para sa isang learner. Parang doon lang namin na–realize na hindi siya ganon ka-simple. Ang hirap-hirap niya lalo na kung kaw lang mag-isa ang nagtatrabaho. Dito rin [napalakas] yung aming bond ng mga kasama dito sa school at saka bond namin with other agencies kasi parang doon, na-practice namin ang paano makipag-communicate sa iba, na magtulungan – hindi lang ang school, kundi ang i-involve lahat; hindi lang school ang dapat na magbigay ng ganitong services para sa kanila, kundi pwede din pala kahit na sa schools nila, pwedeng tumulong ang ibang agencies. So parang yun ang… na-instill o natutunan namin.”
(But it’s not like that. Because it was said along the trainings, in all the orientations, seminars that were conducted with us, that was where we realized that it wasn’t just saying, I’ll give this, I’ll give that outright. Instead, you must start working it from the beginning until you achieve the goal for even one learner. It was only then when we realized that it wasn’t that simple. It’s so difficult especially if you do it alone. It was also here that our bond with our school community was strengthened as well as our bond with other agencies because there, we practiced how we should be communicating with others, to help one another – not just the school, but to involve everyone; the school shouldn’t be the only one providing these kinds of services for them, but even in their own schools, agencies can contribute. So that’s… what was instilled in us or what we learned.)
The importance of supporting and empowering educators for inclusive education
Teacher Klyssa – like all the other educators involved in co-designing the pilot ISCL in TCES – was hesitant at first, but through trainings provided by the KaISA Project and the support provided by the entire school community, they achieved what they had set out to do.
Having worked on this project has also opened them to the possibilities that inclusive education has to offer not only for them as educators, but for all members of the school community they were leading.
For her, the future that inclusive education creates is bright. Teacher Klyssa emphasizes her belief that investing in inclusive initiatives in BARMM will make everyone feel valued and, as a result, will be encouraged to strive to gain the quality education that they deserve that no one can take away. Quality education will also pave the way towards more opportunities – and when more opportunities exist for every person, BARMM will progress as one.
BARMM’s progress hinges on a collective growth that can only be achieved when all members of the school community are actively involved. By investing in champions for inclusive education in every school community, an inclusive future becomes possible for every learner in the Bangsamoro.