THE DEPARTMENT of Education vowed to intensify inclusive education especially for learners with disabilities.

“We are making sure that every young Filipino who is supposed to be in school has to be provided a basic education service, so inclusive education is being intensified,” DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said.

San Antonio made the statement after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Basic Education Committee, said that the number of learners with disabilities is far from pre-pandemic levels.

DepEd’s data showed that out of the estimated 444,294 children with disabilities, only 112,810 enrolled in 2021.

Meanwhile, DepEd Planning Service Director Roger Masapol argued that parents did not enroll their children because of “safety concerns and the means of delivering instructions.”

San Antonio said that the department partnered with different organizations to increase the number of CWDs enrollees.

“We made sure that the video lessons had translations of sign language interpreter. We’re also developing learning resources that could be used by children who are blind,” he added.