Region X

Province of Bukidnon
Municipality of Manolo Fortich
Northern Bukidnon Community College
Kihare, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Argumentative essay: Indigenous people being the hindrance of

community development and Indigenous people the key for
community development

Indigenous peoples are the inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and
ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural,
economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant
societies in which they live. Despite of their cultural differences, indigenous peoples
were label as one of the poorest and illiterate people in the country. They were abused,
discriminated by people because of their physical appearance, language, culture and
many more. But there are some places in country that the Indigenous people and their
domain was used to have development in the community.

The Indigenous people are among the poorest and the most disadvantaged
social group in the country. Illiteracy, unemployment and incidence of poverty are much
higher among them than the rest of the population. IP settlements are in remote areas,
without access to basic services such as electricity and energy, water, and proper
sanitation. They are characterized by a high incidence of morbidity, mortality and
malnutrition. Most of the Indigenous peoples depend on traditional way of agriculture
utilizing available upland areas, because of that young indigent were teach to work at
their age and not going to school. However, most of these traditional cultivation sites
and fallow areas have now been degraded and further threatened by the migrant
farmers who have introduced unsustainable lowland-commercial farming practices.
Furthermore, most Indigenous Communities do not have legal recognition over their
traditional lands, thus limiting their ability to freely conduct their livelihood activities and
are denied access to other natural resources in their communities.

They will be a hindrance to development of the community because they teach

young indigent to work and farm to have more goods, and if they go to school they will
just waste their time in school, instead they will be useful at the farm. The mindset of
indigenous people that is like that is the reason why they are label as one of the poorest
and illiterate people in the country. Also they are the target of New People Army to
recruit to have more man power and some of them joins the forces because the troops
provided them food, shelter, necessities and wants.

While the indigenous peoples in Palawan help by the government to promote

their culture, traditions, beliefs, and their tribe by making some of their ancestral domain
as a tourist spot. Those sites are within ancestral domains that have applications for
certificate of ancestral domain titles. They have what we call native titles, which means
they should all include the IPs in the management of these sites .The said places are in
the ancestral domains considered “sacred” by the Indigenous people if they are not
made co-managers, there is a possibility that tourists will unintentionally trespass. Each
area has sacred places, if they do not make the indigenous people as part of the
management, their rights will be violated if visitors enter these sacred places Ancestral
domains in Palawan are sacred, it is only right for the indigenous dwellers to co-manage
them and protect and preserved their integrity, under the proposed measure, any
decision by the Department of Tourism, the provincial government, municipal
government, or any other agencies, on tourism sites in ancestral domains will not be
valid without the intervention or consent of the Indigenous peoples. What we they want
is a little respect for Indigenous people rights. A little understanding will go a long way
since many of us need to benefit from the gifts of our ancestral domains as native
dwellers.

It is always depend on the Government how they handle the Indigenous people
to remain them from being illiterate, unemployed and be one of the poor. Indigenous
people just need push, courage to take forward but some people make them step back
more than they step forward. We should help them not neglected and discriminate
them, they can go further and compete with others, and they just need support.

Submitted by:
Namayca Vea V. Cataluña
BEED II-K
 Region X
Province of Bukidnon
Municipality of Manolo Fortich
Northern Bukidnon Community College
Kihare, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Advocacy:Indigenous people have right to have quality

education
Since 1994, on August 9 every year we celebrate United Nations International
Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples . An opportunity to raise awareness and
promote action for advancing the rights of all indigenous people from over 90 countries.
The reasons behind this are complicated, but one of the key causes of this persistent
disadvantage and marginalization is the lack of quality education that does not align
with their rights as indigenous peoples, Education that is well-resourced, culturally
sensitive, aligned with their learning needs, languages, priorities and aspirations, and
delivered through culturally appropriate teaching strategies, and in culturally appropriate
settings.

In many cases around the world, education available to indigenous peoples is not only
inappropriate, it also threatens their very existence. Education policies and systems
have often been used as a means to systemically discriminate against indigenous
peoples, assimilate them into the broader society, and destroy their culture, languages,
identity and rights, and displace them of their lands, territories and natural resources.
These education systems, policies and curricula are rarely developed with indigenous
peoples’ participation or consent, and as a result have mostly failed indigenous children
and stripped them from vital life opportunities and cultural security.

In addition, given the importance of lands and natural resources to the livelihoods,
culture and well-being of indigenous peoples, their traditional knowledge about their
lands is also interconnected to education, where elders pass down knowledge, values
and their histories to new generations. In every way then, the right to education is
connected to all other human rights of indigenous peoples, including land rights.

A legal and moral right to education

The right to a have high-quality and culturally respectful education for indigenous
peoples is protected by a number of international human rights instruments, including
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
ILO Convention 169, and the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social
Rights, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Under these
conventions and declarations, states are expected and obligated to support and partner
with indigenous peoples by integrating their perspectives, cultures and languages into
mainstream education systems and institutions, and also by respecting, facilitating and
protecting indigenous peoples’ right to share knowledge to future generations by
traditional ways of teaching and learning.

Barriers to realizing the right to indigenous education

 A 2009 UN study on the challenges of the right to indigenous education identified
a number of serious concerns and barriers to realizing the right to indigenous education.
It found that indigenous people felt a lack of control over educational initiatives aimed at
their children, they were not being consulted when these programmes and services
were being designed and implemented. As a result, they found that the programmes put
in place were not being delivered by indigenous people themselves, were not available
in their languages, and did not respect their history, traditional knowledge or culture.

The demonstrations that design by Educators programmes for indigenous

children, especially women and girls, must recognize and consider their particular needs
and the barriers they face in accessing quality education. It also shows why indigenous
students cannot be forced into mainstream education systems which do not integrate
their culture or which use a single model of education for all students regardless of who
they are, without having adverse impacts on their human rights.

“Native youth – and Native education – are in a state of emergency”. Bilingual

education programming, inclusion of elders and other respected teachers in the
community, and inclusion of culturally appropriate curriculum we suggested as a way to
address this. The same prescription for change could apply to numerous other remote
areas in country.

Quality education for all

Education is recognized as both a human right in itself and an indispensable

means of realizing other human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is the gateway by
which economically and socially marginalized peoples can lift themselves out of poverty
and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities. Education is increasingly
recognized as one of the best long-term financial and social investments countries can
make. Appropriate education enables indigenous children and adult learners to exercise
and enjoy economic, social and cultural rights. It also strengthens their ability to
exercise their civil rights so they can influence political policy processes for enhanced
protection of their human rights. Education is therefore a vital means for the enjoyment,
maintenance and transmission of indigenous cultures, languages, traditions and
traditional knowledge, as well as a vehicle for individual empowerment and agency.
Within international law, indigenous peoples are recognized not simply as stakeholders,
but rights holders. This means they must participate in decisions that affect them,
including the right to development and education on their own terms and in line with
their values, priorities and needs.

The imposition of culturally inappropriate development and policies on

indigenous peoples without proper consultation has exacerbated poverty, and led to the
loss of their lands, livelihoods, cultures, languages and knowledge systems. Culturally
appropriate education systems that are controlled and administered by indigenous
peoples will therefore strengthen land and governance rights, livelihoods, and improve
cultural, community, and individual resilience and well-being. The right to education is a
universal human right, essential to bridge gaps in human well-being, equity and
opportunity. Isn’t it about time we made sure everyone can exercise this basic human
right?

Submitted by:
Namayca Vea V. Cataluña
BEED II-K