Creation of a special education body pushed

A lawmaker at the House of Representatives seeks the creation of a Commission on Special Education (Sped) to oversee the learning requirements of children with special needs, which will be separate from the Department of Education (Deped). Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. has filed House Bill (HB) No. 6022, or the proposed Special Education Act of 2022, which could guarantee sufficient funding for Sped. No allocation was given for Sped in next year’s budget. HB 6022 aims to create a Commission on Special Education (C-Sped), which would “focus on the needs of persons with special needs to help ensure their fullest integration with mainstream education whenever possible. In his explanatory note, Bordado said, “Inclusive education is vital in the pursuit of making quality education available to all. Failure to do so means that a huge population of children would be left behind, particularly learners that are differently abled and those with special needs.” He noted that there are 126,598 Sped enrollees and just 648 Sped centers in the country.