Education International Research
Indigenous teachers face discrimination, impeding the provision of culturally responsive quality education for indigenous children and young people Despite Target 4.1’s stipulation that children should be attaining “relevant” learning outcomes, Target 4.7’s focus on respecting cultural diversity and Target 4.5’s explicit mandate to ensure equal access to education for indigenous peoples, indigenous children and youth are still less likely to be enrolled in school or training and more likely to underperform than non-indigenous children.132 Some UN member states have not only failed to guarantee the right of indigenous peoples to education, but they also continue to systematically oppress indigenous people, violate their cultural freedoms and encroach on their lands, territories and resources. Box 9 below details how educators have responded to the Filipino government’s attacks on indigenous schools. The cultural knowledge and multilingualism possessed by indigenous teachers are too often overlooked by education systems. In Paraguay, for example, OTEP-AUTENTICA NS133 is fighting for the human, labour, cultural and professional rights of indigenous teachers because they do not have access to the same titles and seniority benefits as other teachers.134
Box 9: In the Philippines, Schools Serving Indigenous Communities Are Under Attack In the Philippines, not only is the government neglecting its responsibility to fulfil every child’s right to education, but it is also violating human rights. Since the adoption of the SDGs in 2015, rights violations of indigenous teachers and students in Mindanao have intensified, rendering progress toward ensuring that all students are safe at school (Target 4.a) and that indigenous students have equitable access to quality education (Target 4.5) impossible. Schools in Mindanao have long suffered from neglect and lack of funding from the government due to their geographical isolation. However, even with limited resources, Lumad schools strive to provide free, quality education and to offer a curriculum tailored to the needs of their indigenous students. The curriculum aims to keep indigenous culture and history alive and to be relevant and responsive to the needs of the student population, ensuring that indigenous students receive a quality education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes in line with SDG Target 4.1.
Atrocities and attacks For years, schools in Mindanao have been subjected to attacks, harassment and intimidation by both military and paramilitary forces. The occupation and destruction of school premises violates the right to education of thousands of Lumad children.
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The government itself has incited attacks in Mindanao, labelling Lumad educators as communists and terrorists and making references to “counter-insurgency operations”. On 24 July 2017, President Duterte publicly called for airstrikes against Lumad schools “who teach children to rebel against the government”.135 Since Rodrigo Duterte became president in 2016, campaigners report that there have been at least 535 attacks against Lumad schools. Three Lumad activists were killed in 2017: Emelito Rotimas, killed on 6 February, and Leonila Tapsadan and Ramon Dagaas Pesadilla, killed on 2 March. Human rights activists have also been harassed. On 28 November 2018, a solidarity mission of over 70 teachers, students, human rights defenders and volunteers, including a member of the Filipino House of Representatives, France Castro, were attacked by a paramilitary group whilst trying to provide support to Lumad school communities. Rather than being helped by the police, the group were arbitrarily detained. According to campaigners, trumped-up illegal arrests and abductions have become an emerging trend in the militarisation of Mindanao’s schools.136
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132 UNESCO. Education for Indigenous People. Retrieved from: https://en.unesco.org/themes/inclusion-in-education/indigenous 133 Organización de Trabajadores de la Educación del Paraguay – Auténtica. Sindicato Nacional 134 Education International. Paraguay: Union leads effort to defend the rights of indigenous teachers. Retrieved from: https://www.ei-ie.org/en/detail/15935/ paraguay-union-leads-effort-to-defend-the-rights-of-indigenous-teachers 135 See: http://nine.cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/07/25/Duterte-threatens-to-bomb-Lumad-schools.html 136 See: http://davaotoday.com/main/human-rights/attacks-on-lumad-schools-continue/
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