UPANG mabigyan ng pantay na oportunidad sa pag-aaral ang children with special needs, isinusulong ng isang kongresista ang pagtatayo ng Special Education o SPED center sa bawat school division.

Sa paghahain ng House BIll 7632 o ang proposed Special Education Act, sinabi ni Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. na ang children with special needs ay ka-bilang sa mga grupo na napapabayaan.

Sa datos ng Department of Social Welfare and Development at Department of Health, umaabot sa 4.124 milyon ang persons with disabilities sa bansa kung saan 21 porsiyento ang nasa edad 0 hanggang 19 at pitong porsiyento lamang ang may access sa educational opportunities.

“Distance and poverty are obvious hindrances to facilities that can provide formal education for children with special needs. Most often, private institutions who offer such services are expen-sive and inaccessible,” pahayag ni Villafuerte sa kanyang explanatory note.

Batay sa panukala, tatlong SPED Centers ang ilalagay sa malalaking school division habang ang malilit na dibisyon ay kinakailangang ng isang center sa regular na paaralan.

“The SPED Center shall function as the resource center for the implementation of inclusive edu-cation that will accept all kinds of children in regular schools,” nakasaad pa sa panukala.

Mandato rin ng SPED Centers ang pag-monitor at paglilipat o admission ng kwalipikadong chil-dren with disabilities sa post-secondary o tertiary education institutions.

Ang bawat SPED Center ay magkakaroon ng specialized teacher na magtuturo at mangangala-ga sa children o youth with special needs.

Maglalagay rin ng ibang tauhan sa SPED Center tulad ng educational psychologist o psychome-trician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist o speech cor-rection teacher at education supervisor.