Diaries From The Field: Sharing the dreams with the Lumad children
2 MIN READ
By JUDE BAGGO
www.nordis.net
In Mindanao, there are schools put up by the Lumads and their partners to provide free and alternative education for their children. As a teacher and advocate of indigenous peoples rights, education and culture, I am honestly impressed with these schools. In a school I visited in Compostela Valley, I learned that a free, scientific and mass oriented education can be achieved with the strong support of communities, organizations and their partners.
SOCIAL REALISM. Art works of Lumad grade school children depicting their dreams and aspiration. Photo by Jude Baggo
At the Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao located in Compostela Valley, I met Jason, a Lumad grade school student. Jason said that he came from Sultan Kudarat. Along with his older brother, their parents brought them to the said community school for them to study for free. When asked about his dream, Jason wanted to graduate from the school and find work to help his mother.
The community school provides free dormitory, food and school bus for their students. Like Jason, most of the Lumad students are away from their homes due to geographical locations. In most instances, their parents would visit their school children during weekend or if there were special school activities. Sometimes, their parents would stay for some weeks to help in the maintenance and as resource persons in terms of Lumad culture, organic farming and agriculture.
Roaming around the school, there are also paintings done by the students displayed. Aside from this, there are also other student projects such as embroidery, beads and t-shirt making. Tree planting is also a normal activity of the school. Another highlight of the school is its serious effort to teach Lumad culture to their students. This was observable during the school activity when students performed some of their indigenous songs and dances.
Since the school offers organic organic agriculture, wide areas are thriving with corn, coconut, banana, vegetables such as eggplant, okra, malunggay and more. This is really a school in a mixed of plantation, forest and garden. According to their teachers, this kind of environment is suitable for learning especially that most of their students are Lumads who come from the mountains of Mindanao.
In a sharing with the teachers, Rolly, a long time teacher at the school shares his commitment to teach the Lumad children. He said that, before the Lumad schools were built, most of the Lumad children cannot read and write. With the schools built, this situation is making its progress even in the hinterlands of the Lumad communities. Rolly, like the other teachers and staff, they are committed to contribute in bringing genuine education for the Lumad children and their communities as a whole.
The dreams of the Lumad children are our dreams too. Salute to the teachers, students and their schools. Let us also make a stand to support the Lumad schools. Let the school remain and stop the attacks against their schools, teachers, and the students. # nordis.net
