ANGEL MAE B.

PEROCHO, EdD
SPED Teacher I
Jimenez Central School
Division of Misamis Occidental

1. What is your view and understanding of Inclusive Education? Do you think inclusion is

important?

Inclusive education is about ensuring access to quality education for all learners –
regardless of their abilities and inabilities - by effectively meeting their diverse needs in
a responsive, accepting, respectful and supportive way. This means every child has the
right to quality education and learning. It is the most effective way to give all children a
fair opportunity to learn and develop their skills and potentials. Inclusive education
allows learners of all backgrounds to learn and grow side by side, for the benefit of all.

Inclusion is not just important; it is the most important aspect for an educational system
to fully deliver the quality, equal and accessible education it is basically designed for. It
is important because we value diverse communities. These communities start at
school, where all students learn to live alongside peers. They learn together; they play
together; they grow and are nurtured together. Schools must strongly foster and
advocate for inclusion to close the educational gap for children with regular and special
needs.

2. Are you aware of the legal mandates regarding Inclusive Education?  If so, what are the
skills you need in order to implement IE?

Inclusive Education has its international legal and standard-setting instruments like: UN
Conventions on the Right of the Child (1989), World Declaration on Education for All
(1990), UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994), UN
Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People (2007) and the Education 2030
Framework for Action.

Alongside these global legal mandates are the Philippine legal bases for Inclusive
Education which are as follows: 1987 Philippine Constitution (Art. XIV, Sec 1 & 2), RA
No. 10533: The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, RA No. 10157: The
Kindergarten Education Act, RA No. 9155: The Governance of Basic Education Act of
2001, RA No. 8371: The Indigenous Peoples Rights of 1997, PD 603: The Child and
Youth Welfare Code, RA No. 7610: Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse,
Neglect, Cruelty, Exploitation and Discrimination, RA No. 9344: The Juvenile Justice
and Welfare Act of 2006, RA No. 9442: The Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, RA No.
10665: An Act Establishing the Open High School System in the Philippines, and the
Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with Special Needs Act which is the policy
of the State to protect and promote the rights of Children and Youth with Special Needs
(CYSNs) to quality education and to take appropriate steps to make
such education accessible.

The inclusion of differently able students in regular education classrooms requires

regular school teachers to upgrade their skills in-order to respond to the new
challenges provided by their changing roles and responsibilities. These teachers are
 now expected to address problems and provide solutions to challenges posed by
special needs students who may vary in their skill levels. Inclusion requires a large
vision and specific competencies for teachers. The teachers need to know that diversity
is present in the classroom and that they should attend to diverse needs. Three
important educational aspects that every teacher must know to be inclusive:

Equality: Promoting the same opportunities for all.

Quality: Offering functional and meaningful learning.
Equity: Responding to special educational needs.

There are some competencies of teachers that are field tested and supported as
probable methods for delivering effective instruction to students with diverse learning
needs. These are: believing in students, knowledge of terminology of inclusive
education, cooperation from other staff, classroom management skills, assessment
techniques, individualized instruction and use of assistive technology.

3. What are the support structures you would use to assist you in the implementation of
Inclusive Education?

Inclusive school communities are educational settings in which students with disabilities
have opportunities to participate and receive support in all aspects of school life
alongside peers who do not have disabilities. In an inclusive system, special educators,
specialized instructional support personnel, general educators, and other education
personnel work together to address the needs of students with disabilities. By
collaborating, these educators better support the learning and participation of all
students. These are the support structures deemed necessary for a successful
Inclusive Education:

 Strengthening provision of advisory service on matters relating to Inclusive

Education theory, research and practice.
 Establishing support teams at district and school levels to provide education
support services. District-based support teams will develop curriculum,
assessment and instructional programs, capacitate school-based support teams
to coordinate the programs in the schools and facilitate mobilization of public
support for Inclusive Education and its implementation. School-based support
teams will identify and address barriers and provide appropriate support services
for teaching and learning. Quality assurance units in the districts will quality
assure service provision for learners experiencing barriers to learning,
achievement and participation.
 Establishing resource centers and full service schools. Special schools will be
become resource centers to support teachers and service needy learners in
mainstream and full service schools resourced to accommodate learners with
diverse needs.
 Establishing school/community linkages by collaboration between the schools
and the community where community-based NGOs and government institutions
identify and facilitate admission of learners with difficulties to the schools.
 Curriculum, instruction and support
 Family-School Partnerships
 Collaborative Planning and Teaching
 Teacher Professional Development
  Inclusive School Culture
 School-Community Collaboration
4. What are the training programs you have participated in involving Inclusive Education?

I have attended and participated the following seminar-workshops and training

programs related to Special Education and Inclusive Education:

 Administration, Scoring and Interpretation of Screening Assessment for Learners

with Special Educational Needs (LSENs) and Gifted and Talented (GT)
 Workshop on Validation of Policy Guidelines for LSENs and GT Learners
 1st National Conference on Inclusive Education
 Development of Curriculum Framework on Program for LSENs and GT Learners
 Finalization of Curriculum Framework on Program for LSENs and GT Learners
 Division SPED Seminar-Workshop in Inclusive Education, Transition Program
and Overview of Multi-Factored Assessment Tool (MFAT)
 Seminar-Workshop on Individual Educational Plan Preparation for Elementary
and Secondary SPED Learners
 Development, Validation and Finalization of SPED Lesson Exemplars for LSENs

5. How has the implementation process been as a result of recent changes in special
education laws? Does it work or not?

Jimenez Central School, the station where I am currently at, and the entire Department
of Education as a whole, diligently implements inclusive education in cognizance to the
SPED laws and policies. Regular items are given to SPED graduate teachers, so as to
ensure that the appropriate professionals are handling these types of learners. SPED
and regular classroom teachers work hand in hand as learners transitioned from one
modality to another – isolated class, pull-out, mainstream and full inclusion. Monitoring
and supervision are regularly done by SPED supervisors and coordinators to ensure
that inclusive education among schools is provided and appropriately delivered.
Parents and guardians are also constantly updated and informed on all school
activities. It definitely works if all multidisciplinary team members are working coherently
for positive outcomes.

6. What recommendations for improvement do you suggest for your colleagues, school
heads, and governmental authorities?

 For colleagues:
SPED teachers should always update professional development aspect by participating
in seminar-workshops and training programs. Regular classroom or general education
teachers should attend regularly IEP meetings to give appropriate assistance to LSENs
in full-blown inclusion. Both teachers should work hand in hand in providing support for
the child’s holistic development.

 For school heads:

School heads/principals should review aspects of inclusive education, state support,
provide planning time for teaching teams, communicate use of accommodations,
convene meetings to review individual student needs, include SPED learners and
parents in all schoolwide activities and give due recognition.
 For government authorities:
Local government units (LGUs) should provide supplementary funding support to
inclusive education to establish access in sustainable source of financial resources that
are earmarked for the basic education sector, the Special Education Fund (SEF).