When communicating what inclusive education is to people who may have not yet heard of it and what role it plays in school communities, the message may not immediately come across. This is especially true in a context where disability is not yet fully accepted and has yet to be understood.
The primary goal of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education-led pilot 20-Day Campaign to Reach Every Child supported by the Australian Government was to document and locate learners with functional difficulties and understand their current situation in relation to accessing quality education. In the process, it also became a campaign to promote awareness of how school communities can be inclusive of learners with disabilities by word of mouth. This was how the selected field enumerators of each school division office championed inclusive education wherever they went during the campaign.
For the field enumerators of School Division Office (SDO) Maguindanao del Norte (then called Maguindanao I), conducting interviews with parents of learners with functional difficulties was a challenge in itself; however, they also understood that making inclusive education happen was only possible when members of the school community understood how to be inclusive of each person, regardless of their identity and background.
Connecting with parents of learners in SDO Maguindanao I
When the field enumerators of SDO Maguindanao I first explained their intentions for the interviews they were conducting as part of the campaign, there were parents who were wary and resistant to these efforts. Some parents had negative reactions towards the insinuation that their children may have disabilities – a reaction to be anticipated from those who live in communities where disability has a cultural stigma.
It can be a challenge to reach out to people who share this kind of mindset, especially when it also comes from a place of fear and protectiveness in a world where having a disability can result to exclusion, bullying, and other forms of discrimination. The field enumerators understood this. One of the enumerators said, “I sympathize with them. Parents are the ones who are hurt the most when their children are bullied.”
The seemingly opposing views of the field enumerators and the parents were treated not as a conflict, but as a chance to connect. Though their views may differ on the surface, on a deeper level, they had a shared interest: to protect the children and make sure that they had a bright future ahead of them and that they felt safe and respected. Learning this, the field enumerators realized that empathy is the first step to genuinely connecting with the parents and making sure that their children received everything they needed to be supported and included in education.
Educators make inclusive education happen with the community
At first glance, inclusive education can be understood to be the sole responsibility of the school; in reality, true inclusive education is only possible when the entire community comes together for the common purpose of making things better for their children. The 20-Day Campaign to Reach Every Child served as an opportunity for communities in the Bangsamoro region to demonstrate their willingness to do what they can to contribute to this cause.
When SDO Maguindanao I field enumerators conducted the campaign in their division, heavy rains and flooding, combined with the difficult-to-access remote areas challenged them.
To address this, their team collaborated with the Barangay Maslabeng government and were provided with logistical support by allowing their barangay hall and facilities to be used for data gathering. Elementary schools also became sites for data gathering here, which the field enumerators took as an opportunity to conduct interviews with parents and their children who came to the schools to enroll.
In Barangay Poblacion II, one parent offered their home as a place where interviews can be conducted. This made it easier for enumerators to collect data by letting respondents come to them instead of having to walk around the neighborhood searching for them. Sharrif Aguak Central Elementary School also extended their help to the team by providing snacks for the field enumerators to re-energize between interviews.
The 20-Day Campaign to Reach Every Child and the experiences of SDO Maguindanao I during its implementation proves the importance of community collaboration and how it paves the way for inclusive education to take root here. These barangays are two of many BARMM communities who are ready to take the initiative to champion inclusive education for a brighter future not only for their children but also for the noble of cause of creating an inclusive society.
Genuine connections take the vision of inclusive education far
At the core of this advocacy, educators serve as the heart that gives life to the long-term goal of making education inclusive for all kinds of learners. Inclusive education is a long-haul commitment; but to bring this vision into reality, it entails many steps in the present and the immediate future.
These steps can only be made when every member of the community – including those who may see the world differently – is part of the action. To ensure that they are included in this process, as the field enumerators of SDO Maguindanao I proved, connecting with people where they are at plays a crucial role. Though it may be a small act of kindness, genuine empathy and patience with everyone in the community will go far.
