Education Knows No Age and Boundaries.
This adage holds true to Sama Bajaus who are known by many as a nomadic tribe who live by the sea and wander the oceans by their boats. Within their community, few were able to register their citizenship, even less had gone to school and learned to read and write.
When one asks elderly Sama Bajaus to write their names or affix their signatures in documents, they would always say “Tumbok na, Ma’am, alam mo na, Bajau” (I’ll just affix my thumbmark, Ma’am, you know what they say about Bajaus) – as if learning and education only favor those outside their tribe, a misconception stemming from years and years of discrimination against their people.
Community and Family Services International (CFSI) with funding support from the European Union (EU) started implementing the Sama Bajau Capacity Strengthening Project (SBCSP) in January 2019, an initial phase of intervention to help address severe protection issues faced by the Sama Bajaus.
Under the project’s Skills Development on Reading, Writing and Numeracy component, SBCSP conducted the Basic Adult Literacy Program (BALP) for the first batch of 150 Sama Bajau adult learners beginning June 2019 to August 2019. Through a partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) Alternative Learning System (ALS), Instructional Managers (IMs) were deployed to the three SBCSP sites to conduct the BALP, which accumulated to a total of 400-hour learning sessions. On 14 September 2019, one hundred thirty three (133) Adult Learners from Rio Hondo, Kasanyangan, and Arena Blanco completed the BALP. The completion exercise was conducted in Zamboanga Central School SPED Center and was graced by DepEd Region IX Officials, CFSI Sub-Office Zamboanga Head of Office, and the completers with their loved ones.
“Ata-u na kame agsulat, Ma’am” (We now know how to write, Ma’am), exclaimed Nuri Paradji, one of the completers. Nuri is a Sama Bajau widow who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, a mother of five sons who are all married and are living with her in a stilt house awarded to them by the City Government of Zamboanga after the 2013 Zamboanga Crisis. Nuri stays at home and tends to her grandchildren while her children are fisherfolks and vendors in the public market. Financial challenges and discriminative gender roles had deprived Nuri educational opportunities when she was younger. Upon being informed that learning sessions for adults are being offered by SBCSP, she personally enrolled herself for the first batch. In addition to the Most Interested Learner Award, she was also recognized with Best in Attendance for having attended all sessions of the three-month program.
“I felt like this is a once in a lifetime chance for learning, despite my age, my condition, and the misconceptions about Sama Bajaus, I am proud that because of the BALP of SBCSP and DepEd, I was able to acquire skills in writing, reading, and numeracy”, said Nuri when she was asked about how she feels after their completion exercise. She further added, “Now that I know how to read and write, I will be able to help my grandchildren with their homework while their parents are away earning for a living. I will also encourage my grandchildren to pursue their studies and finish their education while they are still young.”
The second batch of BALP sessions will be running from October to December 2019 and is expected to benefit 150 more Sama Bajau adult learners.
To learn more about the SBCSP, click here to view the Project Briefer.
—
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of CFSI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.