THE SENATE Committee on Basic Education highlighted the significance of the Child Find System (CFS) under Republic Act No. 11650, also known as the Inclusive Education Act.

This system establishes a comprehensive policy to ensure the inclusion of learners with disabilities in the country’s educational framework.

The CFS involves identifying, locating, and evaluating learners with disabilities who are not receiving basic education services. It targets individuals up to 24 years old, facilitating their integration into the general basic education system.

During a public hearing on the implementation status of RA 11650, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian presented Department of Education data showing a decline in the enrollment of learners with disabilities (LWDs)— from 351,147 in the 2019-2020 school year to 323,344 in 2023-2024.

“Of course, the pandemic hurt many students, and our learners with disabilities could not go to school. However, I also observed a slow recovery in enrollment numbers, taking almost four years to approach pre-pandemic levels,” Gatchalian said.

He also noted that the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates 1.595 million Filipino learners aged 2 to 17 have disabilities, with the current enrollees representing only about 20% of that number.

“This is why we need the Child Find System, which is designed to increase the enrollment of children with disabilities. It’s not just about identifying them but also encouraging parents to bring them to school,” Gatchalian emphasized.

He urged the Department of Health, the National Council on Disability Affairs, and DepEd to initiate a house-to-house survey as part of the Child Find System.

“The system is meant to do exactly that,” he added.