The State, community and the family life hold a common vision for the Filipino child with special needs:
he/she could be adequately provided with basic education
education should fully realize his/her own potentials for development and productivity as well as being capable of self-expression of his/her rights in the society
he/she is God-loving and proud of being a Filipino
The fundamental principle of inclusive school is that all children should learn together, wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have (The Salamanca Statement on Principles, Policy and Practice in Special Education).
Philosophy
The State shall promote the right of every individual to relevant quality education regardless of sex, age, breed, socio-economic status, physical and mental condition, social or ethnic origin, political and other affiliation. The State shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access to education as well as the enjoyment of benefits of education by all its citizens (BP Blg. 232).
Every child with special needs has a right to an educational program that is suitable to his needs. Special Education shares with regular education basic responsibilities of the educational system to fulfill the right of the child to develop to his full potential.
Goals and Objectives
The ultimate goal of special education shall be the integration or mainstreaming of learners with special needs into the regular school system and eventually in the community.
Special education shall aim to develop the maximum potential of the child with special needs to enable him to become self-reliant and shall be geared towards providing him with the opportunities for a full and happy life.
The specific objectives of special education shall be the development and maximization of learning competencies, as well as the inculcation of values to make the learners with special needs a useful and effective member of society.
Functions
The Special Education Division has the following functions:
Formulates policies, plans and programs for the preparation of instructional materials, and evaluation of programs in special education;
Conducts studies and develops standards of programs and services for special learners;
Plans for prototype in-service education programs to upgrade the competencies of administrators, supervisors, coordinators, teachers as well as the non-teaching special education personnel; and
Establishes/strengthens linkages with agencies concerned with the education and welfare of children with special needs.
PPHB
The Philippine Printing House for the Blind (PPHB) is an attached office of the SPED Division. It is tasked to:
Produce Braille books and other education materials;
Produce Braille printing materials; and
Distribute Braille books and supplies to regions/divisions/ schools with programs for the visually impaired children and youth.
Facts
(as of SY 2004-2005)
*156,270
children with special needs are enrolled in schools
- 77,152
are mentally gifted/fast learners (G/FL)
- 79,118
are children with disabilities
- 40,260 learning disabled (LD)
- 11,597 hearing impaired (HI)
- 2,670 visually impaired (VI)
- 12,456 mentally retarded (MR)
- 5,112 behavior problem (BP)
- 760 orthopedically handicapped (OH)
- 5,172 autistic children (Au)
- 912 speech defectives (SD)
- 142 chronically ill (CI)
- 32 children with cerebral palsy (CP)
*2,149
schools offering SPED programs
- 4 national special schools
- 450 private special schools
- 151 recognized Special Education Centers
- 1,544 regular schools with SPED programs
- 4,034 Special Classes
Thrust
Institutionalization od SPED Programs for Children with Special Needs (CSNs)
Approaches:
Establishment of SPED Centers as Resource Centers
Training of Trainers on SPED
Provision of Technical Assistance on the Organization/Expansion of Services for CSNs
Monitoring and Evaluation of Program Implementation
