CHILD rights group Save the Children Philippines described as a milestone the signing by President Rodrigo Duterte of Republic Act 11650 or  An Act Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education.

Save the Children lauded the enactment of the law that safeguards the recognition, protection, and promotion of the rights of all learners with disabilities.

In 2019, an estimated 60 percent of Filipino children with disabilities were out of school, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development Listahanan.

Moreover, the inability to access education services and learning resources was one of the major concerns cited in the 2020 survey of the Council for the Welfare of Children Sub-Committee on Children with Disabilities.

“With the enactment of this law, the Philippines as State Party exerts considerable effort in adhering to the recommendations of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on the removal of barriers that prevent learners with disabilities from learning meaningfully and reaching their optimum potential,” the group said in a statement.

This law will provide learners with disabilities additional resources to support their holistic education needs. These include learning resource centers featuring multidisciplinary teams of professionals, accessible materials, child find systems, public awareness raising, consultative mechanisms, family education, pre- and in-service professional development for teachers and child development workers, and an advisory council.

“Learners with disabilities have long been impacted by different forms of inequality and discrimination. Even before the pandemic, around 5 in 10 Filipino families with children, including learners with disabilities, already have limited access to quality and basic education, and are now even at greater risk of falling behind,” Save the Children Philippines Chief Executive Officer Alberto Muyot said.