Diwa party list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay. www.congress.gov.ph photo
MANILA, Philippines—Children with special needs may have a different set of educational requirements, but this no excuse to deprive them of the chance to grow and learn.
A bill approved by the House committee on the welfare of children in March intends to require the government to put up one special education (SPED) center for each school division in the country, and three such centers for big school divisions.
The bill’s author, Diwa party list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, said children with special needs should be nurtured to their full potential.
In her speech for the 7th World Autism Awareness Day celebration on Wednesday, Aglipay said people with autism must not be considered less than so-called normal people.
“Autism is not, in itself, a negative, but an alternative way of thinking, of seeing the world, one which calls for awareness, understanding, and integration– not fear, or prejudice, or pity,” she said.
Under her bill, the SPED Center would serve as the resource center for the implementation of inclusive education programs that would allow regular schools to properly deal with children with special needs.
Their tasks include producing appropriate school materials, conducting school-based training and supporting the integration of children with special needs in regular schools.
The SPED Centers must have one educational psychologist or psychometrician, one physical therapist, one occupational therapist, one speech and language therapist, and one education supervisor.
The bill requires the Department of Education to provide financial assistance to students with special needs at the elementary and secondary level who come from poor families. The aid may come in the form of scholarships, allowances, subsidies, and other incentives.
Special equipment such as wheelchairs or hearing aid should also be provided for free or at a discount to deserving students, it states.
The other programs prescribed under the bill for children with special needs include a nutritional program, recreational and artistic opportunities, specialized day care centers, and special training for their parents, siblings, and caregivers.
The bill also seeks an intensified nationwide information campaign on the prevention, early identification, and intervention programs for children with special needs.
It further authorizes the education secretary to give grants or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public or private non-profit organizations or institutions to create the SPED Centers or provide technical assistance and other services related to the work done by the centers.
It also states that the SPED Centers’ profit and income from its functions should be exempt from income tax, while donations, contributions, bequests, and grants to the centers should be exempt from donor’s tax, and should be an allowable deduction from the donor’s gross income.
The special education bill has been referred to the House appropriations and ways and means committees, which would tackle its funding provisions.
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