THE SAVE Our Schools Network called for the protection of Lumad learners from military attacks and abuse to enable them to continue their education.

“Education for the Lumad students means protecting their ethnicity from state-sponsored ethnocide; their ancestral domain from being plundered by extractive industries; and their human rights against paramilitary and military abuse and attacks,” the group said.

It said that Lumad learners strive to pursue their education because it gives them hope for a better life.

“The collective care and collective ‘paglaum’ (hope) provide them the tenacious  reason to continue their studies amidst adversaries and adversities. Padayon! —  it means to continue to hope and act decisively amidst challenges, adversary and adversity,” the group said.

“It is 2021, the continuous killings of indigenous peoples in the Philippines perpetuated by the state forces give them uncertainty,” it added.