Mangyan education in Mindoro cited on World Literacy Day

SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro, Sept. 10 (PNA) -- Efforts exerted by various stakeholders towards providing Mangyans in the province with basic education tailored to their tribal culture were cited here during the observance Monday of the World Literacy Day.

The day could call for a bash to mark the liberation of these Indigenous Peoples (IPs) from ignorance and illiteracy, but in respect to Mangyan traditions, the observance focused only on small group discussions on the gains of basic education formally introduced to these ethnic groups seven years ago.

Named Pamanaka (Paaralang Mangyan Na-Angkop sa Kulturang Aalagaan), the non-formal education for Mangyan tribesmen was launched during the Mangyan Week celebration in October 1999.

Its first Pamanaka classroom was built by the natives on a piece of “kainging” lot donated by village chieftain Laki Iwan within the Buhid Mangyan tribal community in Barangay Danlog here.

A tribal leader who knew how to read and write and possessed rich knowledge in Mangyan culture served as its first teacher for over a dozen of initial enrollees composed of young adults that missed school during their elementary school ages.

Introducing basic education to Mangyans, however, was not an easy undertaking because of their belief based on experiences that those schooled particularly “lowlanders” would become their tyrants and exploiters later on.

In some of the World Literacy Day discussions here, Mangyan leaders also recalled their sad experiences with fellow tribesmen who were sent to school and acquired college degrees.

“While our ‘gurangons’ (elders) were happy for some of ours who have finished college courses, they were also disappointed over the influence of modern civilization to some of these educated Mangyans that made them abandon the native culture,” said Luisito Malanao, a public school teacher belonging to the Ratagnon Mangyan tribe here.

Some failed to return to their families in the mountains because they already disliked walking in barefoot on muddy paths, the dirty bodies of their parents and siblings and staying in native huts that do not have separate bedrooms for them, Malanao narrated.

These are only few of the disappointments of Mangyan gurangons over the influence of modern civilization to their kin sent to schools in the lowland. However, Malanao said “we cannot afford to stay ignorant and exploited all our lives”.

The Mangyans also have to aspire to learn the way of life in civilized communities so that they do not remain ignorant and exploited.

“We have to embrace basic education without going to schools where we are discriminated being Mangyans by lowlanders who dominate these learning institutions and we found the way through Pamanaka,” Alma Aguilar, another Mangyan teacher, said.

Then, after four years following the putting up of the non-formal education facilities, the concerted efforts among non-government organizations (NGOs) and local officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) of bringing elementary education to Mangyan children within their communities bore fruits.

This came to being with the opening in September 2005 of Pamanaka Balingaso, a DepEd approved kindergarten and elementary school curriculum for Mangyan pupils suited and significant to the native context.

The curriculum is aimed at molding Mangyan children towards correct orientations and building capability in them to become responsible tribal leaders in the future.

At the beginning, makeshift classrooms manned by qualified and licensed Mangyan teachers were built within tribal communities on their ancestral domains until over a year ago when Plan Phils., an international humanitarian group working for the welfare of IPs in the country, started building permanent school buildings for them.

Plan, a child-centered organization that has been working in the island province since 1991, partnered with the Pamanaka group in providing direct help to the school children and the Mangyan communities.

Aside from providing financial assistance for the construction of school buildings, Plan also distributed teaching materials for Pamanaka teachers, school supplies to children and for the production of teaching modules based on the native culture.

“We are supporting over 2,000 Mangyan school kids,” Mardy Halcon, Plan’s communication officer told the Philippine News Agency Monday.

“There may be no partying for the World Literacy Day observance but deep in our hearts and that of the Manyan tribesmen and children, merrymakings are felt out of the achievements and accomplishments of everyone who made basic education easily reachable for these IPs,” Halcon said. (PNA)