MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) partnered with the Special Olympics Pilipinas to bring special sports to schools, making the Philippines the first Asia Pacific nation to join the Special Olympics Global Coalition for Inclusion.
DepEd signed a memorandum of understanding with Special Olympics Pilipinas on Tuesday, April 8, at the Philippine School of the Deaf, which will integrate special sports in schools, and promote inclusion for students with learning and physical disabilities in training programs and competitions.
“We have to change the culture,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara told reporters. “One of the goals of our MoU is to teach [students] what is right in terms of being alongside people with special needs and change the culture.”
Angara added that around 30,000 students with disabilities may benefit from the program, noting it could also help prevent bullying in schools.
The goal of the four-year partnership is to put students with and without intellectual and physical disabilities in the same special sports programs to develop empathy among each other.
At least 50,000 students will be part of the program, which will be integrated across preschool through senior high school in public institutions in the country.
Around 2,000 educators will also lead the program after specialized training in working with students with disabilities and conducting special sports games.
There will also be a technical working group to oversee the program, composed of officials from DepEd and Special Olympics Pilipinas, led by president Akiko Thomson-Guevarra.
“It is our dream in Special Olympics Pilipinas to bring programs nationwide. This is a big deal for us…I am confident and hopeful that we will see the benefits in a very concrete way for all our youth,” said Thomson-Guevarra, an Olympic swimmer.
With the agreement, the Philippines also joined 20 other countries as part of the Special Olympics Global Coalition for Inclusion.
Among nations included in the coalition are China, Ghana, Jamaica, Mongolia, Montenegro, Panama, Egypt, Gibjaltar, Kenya, Iceland, Malta, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, among others. – Rappler.com