The document discusses indigenous education systems in the Philippines. It notes that the Philippines has over 100 indigenous communities totaling around 15-20 million people. While the communities vary in culture and heritage, they share experiences of discrimination. It also discusses the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 which recognizes indigenous rights. The document then examines historical interventions in indigenous education and their impacts, as well as culturally sensitive approaches like incorporating local languages and knowledge. It describes key aspects of indigenous education systems, including curriculum, teaching methods, and evaluating learning. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of culture and affirming indigenous identity and knowledge systems in education.

2. The Philippines is home to
around on
 110 Indigenous peoples
communities
 Approx. 15 to 20 million in
population
 More than 60% in
Mindanao
 30% in Luzon
 10% in Visayas
While varying in ways
of life and cultural
heritage, they share
similar experiences of
discrimination and
marginalization.
Ana Marie M. Somora

3. In 1997
Philippine government
passed the Indigenous
Peoples Rights Act or
Republic Act 8371 that
recognizes and
protects the rights of
indigenous
communities. Its
effective
implementation,
however, is still to be
seen and asserted by
indigenous
communities.
Ana Marie M. Somora

4. 1980s
The various forms of interventions done by
IPAs and religious congregations were any
or a combination of the ff:
• Teaching basic literacy-numeracy to
children and adults based on mainstream
approaches, methods and content
(BASIC LITERACY)
• Provision of adult-based trainings based
on mainstream approaches and content
(LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION)
• Provision of school supplies,
scholarships, tutorials (SUPPORT TO
ENTER SCHOOL)
• Provision of infrastructure, personnel
(usually lowlander),curriculum evaluation
tools, books and school calendar based
on mainstream education system
(SCHOOL BUILDINGS)
Ana Marie M. Somora

5. Reasons for education
intervention are the ff:
• The need to understand the
system of transacting business
in the marketplace
• The need to read street signs,
newspapers, and legal
documents, and to vote and
participate in activities outside
their communities
• The need for other livelihood
options because the
community’s resource base
(finding employment)
• The need to access health
services, and going to school is
equated with being
‘educated’ and education
means liberation from poverty
Ana Marie M. Somora

6. IP EXPERIENCES IN EDUCATION
• School as a venue of
discrimination
- prejudice
- Financial inadequacy
- Comprehension
difficulties
• Adjustment difficulties
Ana Marie M. Somoray

7. Impact on Mainstream
School System
 Alienation of indigenous
youth from their own
communities, heritage,
culture and history.
• Misuse and abuse of
cultural practices, and
dying indigenous
knowledge systems and
practices (IKSPs)
• Graduates or schooled
youth leaving the
community or abusing
the ancestral domain.
• Continued
marginalization of
communities.
• Dying spirit of tribe
Ana Marie M. Somora

8. Culturally-sensitive
educational interventions
1. Indigenized formal education
 Use of the local language when
appropriate
(as against the use of Filipino or
English languages as the sole
mediums of instruction)
 Discussion of concepts with local
situations or examples (e.g.,
fermentation and wine-making,
counting and simple weaving, etc.)
 Inclusion of local knowledge in the
topics (e.g., local identification
system of animals and plants, or
land and water
forms)
 Addition of underlying values like identity
and self-determination
 Addition of local topics to particular
subjects (e.g., indigenous musical instruments
in music class aside from the usual
instruments taught)
 Inclusion of elders or experts from the
community as resource persons for some
topics (e.g., for indigenous musical instruments
or weaving).

9. Indigenized Alternative
Learning Systems
Curriculum
The ALS curriculum is
applied to the indigenous
education programs with
innovations consisting of
the use of indigenous
learning and
teaching techniques (i.e.,
more group work, use of
the outdoors as venues for
lessons) and increased use
of indigenous materials for
teaching
aids.
The Sentrong Paaralan ng mga Agta in
Nakar, Quezon under the support of the
Prelature of Infanta uses this curriculum.
Ana Marie M. Somora

10. Own System
1. The community decides on their
school’s overall direction,
management concerns and key
content that should be part of
the curriculum.
2. While financial resources usually
come from benefactors and/or funding
agencies, the community participates
in the setting-up of the school and
provides counterpart resources for the
construction of school facilities like
labor, food, construction materials.
3. Local materials are used in setting
up the facilities, like grass for roofing,
etc.
4. The architecture of the school
building
is patterned after the indigenous
architecture
in the community
5. The management of the school includes
the local organization of the tribe or community
6. Community disciplinary procedures are
used in maintaining discipline among the students
7. Indigenous teachers are prioritized in
selecting teachers
8. The curriculum design is based on the flow of
community life in such a way that topics are discussed
in direct relation to community activity cycles

11. 9. Some communities modify the school calendar
(without decreasing the required number of
school days) to take into consideration local
climate patterns, thus avoiding absences due to
rains, flooded rivers, etc.
10. Indigenous materials are used as teaching
aids as appropriate
11. Indigenous teaching and learning methods
are incorporated as teaching methods.

12. An education system
appropriate to
indigenous communities
Philosophy
To instill mainstream
competencies and learning
processes, and getting them
assimilated in mainstream
society, the end goals now
are to nurture their sense of
identity/indigenous
personhood and instill
competencies and learning
processes both from their
system and the mainstream
to enable them to assert
their rights and self
determination.
To reach these goals, indigenous peoples
education should be founded on the following:
• CULTURE (as process and product)
• HISTORY (life-stories woven into the
tribe’s story, woven into the bigger story
of nation and the world)
• HERITAGE (a sense of being a descendant
and ancestor)
• SPIRITUALITY (expression of faith life,
values and beliefs).

13. Teaching and learning
processes
 Revealed knowledge
(dreams, etc.),
ancestral domain, and
elders as teachers
 Tribal language
 Community teaching-
learning processes
complemented by
mainstream ones.

14. The Indigenous Peoples
Education System
• Indigenous communities have a system of
education
Each tribe in the country has a system
that started since time immemorial of transmitting
knowledge and forming the youth to become
responsible human beings.
• Learning is everywhere and at every
moment.
This similar to the ‘lifelong learning’
concept in education circles today. This
indigenous education system that has been
practiced for centuries has to be recalled by
indigenous communities.
In some tribes, learning venues or institutions
are also present like the dap-ay (for
males) and ulog (for females). These are
venues for youth to gather and, in interaction
with the elders, learn about community
dynamics and practices

15. Indigenous Peoples have a
curriculum too
The indigenous peoples
have a sequence
of content and
competencies to be
taught
based on the stage of
growth of the person.
Indigenous education
therefore has a
curriculum, which varies
depending on the
situation of the tribe.

16. Indigenous books and
knowledge storage
system
• The elders are the repository of knowledge. Their
memory is the library of indigenous communities
• knowledge is also stored in songs, chants,
dances, rituals, and day-to-day activities of the
tribe
• day-to-day living and the cycle of life of the
community was the ultimate repository of
knowledge, for it was in living the knowledge
that its remembrance and storage were
ensured.
• Another repository of knowledge is called
cellular memory (One example is the
competency, which
evolved through the centuries of making rice
• terraces, of indigenous communities of the
Cordillera mountains)
”This is a natural competency among the members of the
indigenous community that cannot be taught in any Master’s
or PhD course anywhere in the world. It can only be learned
by being part of the ancestry (blood) and living in and
working in the ancestral domain so that this competency
(which includes psycho-emotional components) is nurtured
and practiced.”

17. Evaluating learning –
Indigenous Peoples
have exams too
The elders see application of
knowledge
as the test in itself, with the
outcome being the indicator of
degree of knowledge gained.
Depending on the tribe, there
are indicators
of mastery. The part of the body
hit by a trap, for example, shows
how skillful a Mangyan hunter is
in making the trap. Another
indicator of learning was the
capacity to teach others. Some
tribes have titles for the experts
in their communities equivalent
to today’s Master’s and PhD
degrees.

18. Teaching-learning
strategies
Among tribes, there
are some common
teaching-learning
strategies such as
demonstration,
actual activity,
apprenticeship (for
specialized roles like
healers and shamans),
and direct
instruction.

19. The key concerns on
Indigenous Peoples
education
• There is a need to
consciously affirm indigenous
peoples’ sense of
personhood and reflection.
Learning indigenous
competencies does not
necessarily translate
into a deep sense of
indigenous peoples’
identity.
• The indigenous communities
recognize the need to
document IKSPs that are
almost forgotten.

20. CONCLUSION
Culture is at the core of
being human, an
expression of how we
have encountered God
through life questions. It
contains the blessings or
graces of God to a people
which, if nurtured well,
make us able to share
these blessings and
graces with
each other. In the case of
our indigenous brothers
and sisters, they have
shared their blessings
with us but were abused,
neglected and ridiculed in
return.
We hope to continue journeying with
our indigenous brothers and sisters as
they articulate and define an education
system that will once again nurture
their tribe, communities and culture,
before it is too late.

21. Masampat e abi-abi (AGTA)
Mahampat umabiyak (Ayta)
Maayong adlaw (Bantayanon)
Mayong aga (Bantoanon)
Marhay na (BICOLANO)