Mindanao university building new floating classroom for Badjao children

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The old boat that served as floating classroom for many Sama and Badjao children between 2007 and 2009 is gone, scuttled due to old age.

But the hope of these children to continue getting an education is to be fulfilled soon with the construction of another floating school, courtesy of the Western Mindanao State University’s comprehensive outreach program for barangays and the Japanese government.

Dean Lucio Somblingo, head of WMSU’s department of extension services, said the construction of the new boat will start next week and is expected to be completed  in 90 days.

The new boat will be single hulled and will be made mostly of steel.

The boat that operated years ago—also built by WMSU—was double-hulled, or a catamaran, but was made largely of wood.

Construction of the new boat is being funded by the Embassy of Japan through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, Somblingo said.

Unlike the old floating school, which served a single community, the new boat will be serving Sama and Badjao communities in the barangays of Sangali, Taluksangay, and Maasin here.

Both tribes are known to be sea dwellers, living in boats or houses on stilts on the coast.

The school will continue to offer literacy programs for out-of-school indigenous children 7 to 14 years old, according to Somblingo.

“We may start accepting youths who are 15 to 17 years old this year,” he said.

Under the plan, the floating school will be sailing into these villages and will stay at each of them for a week.

“On the first week of its operation, it will move to Sangali from Cawit (the station area). After a week, it will sail to Taluksangay, and will have to change area to Maasin after a week. This is how the floating school will operate for 10 months,” Sombligo said.

Twenty-five students from each of the villages will be taught on the floating school with the use of the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System (ALS).

“We continue with this program to help more indigenous people along the coastal areas of the city improve their quality of life through accessible education,” he said.

Aside from providing education, Somblingo said, WMSU also envisions the new floating school to also offer health services.

The WMSU floating school project is touted to be the first of its kind in Western Mindanao.