Essay About The Right To Education In The Philippines

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In the Philippines, the 1987 Philippine Constitution declares that education is a right of every Filipino (Maligalig, 2010). Thus, the policies of the government on education have been primarily about education for all citizens. Being a right, this must benefit every member of the Philippine population regardless of their language and ethnicity. The right to education, however, must not be confined in the context of being able to go to school or having more areas and structures for schooling. The right to education is undermined and meaningless if teachers are under-trained, learning curricula and materials are irrelevant and learning environment is unsafe and not conducive (Mapa, 2013). In the case of the indigenous people, there are other aspects that can be added up to the context of an ideal education, specifically, tribal sovereignty. Such aspect comprises right of the people to self-government, self-education, and self-determination including the right to linguistic and cultural expression according to local languages and norms (Lomawaima, 2006). …show more content…

It shall consider these rights in the formulation of national plans and policies.” The provision justifies the enactment of Republic Act 8371 - the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) in 1997 “to recognize and promote the rights of indigenous peoples within the framework of national unity and development” and “to protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities to their ancestral lands to ensure their economic, social and cultural well-being”. Although the government has made strides in defending the rights of indigenous peoples and uplifting their state in society, it still has some ways to go in terms of indigenous education (Abejuela,