Removing barriers to support continued education

Shermalin Juldati is 12 years old and is one of the beneficiaries of the Sama Bajau Education Support Project – Phase Two (SBESP/2). She and her family are currently living in Sitio Hongkong, Rio Hondo, in a government awarded shelter unit after their house was burned down during the Zamboanga Siege in 2013. Shermalin is a Grade 3 student in Bihing Tahik Primary School – an annex elementary school situated in Rio Hondo catering to indigenous children including Sama Bajaus.

Shermalin is a timid girl but loves to play with other children in the resettlement site. She spends most of her time with her brother, Junjoni, who is 9 years old and in Grade 2 in the same school as Shermalin. She dreams of becoming a teacher one day so she can help other Sama Bajau children like her and her siblings in accessing education. Because of this, she feels grateful for the opportunity to be one of the learners of the tutoring sessions under CFSI.

“I am thankful that CFSI and EDUCO offer this kind of activity for children in our community. My cousin, Andim, or Avon in our community, was also part of the previous CFSI and EDUCO Project intended for ALS [Alternative Learning System] learners where he graduated and acquired skills in food processing. Without the tutoring sessions, my brother and I will not be able to continue our studies since no one in our family can help us with the modules.”

Ensuring that Sama Bajau children are not left behind includes addressing the barriers preventing them from accessing education.

“…I felt ashamed and wanted to cry, but I just went home and decided not to go to school anymore until these blisters were gone, not even in the tutoring sessions.”

In recent weeks, Shermalin’s absence was felt when she abruptly stopped attending the tutoring sessions. When the CFSI team in Zamboanga was told that she had already been absent from school for two weeks straight, the sudden and prolonged absences became a cause for concern. As such, CFSI visited Shermalin at home to check how she was, and to provide support where necessary. There, the team saw that she had visible blisters on her hands.

 

“My teacher told me to go home and not attend class because of these blisters on my hands. They thought this might be contagious and that my classmates would be infected if I continue attending class. I was also having a hard time writing my lessons since they were painful and itchy. I felt ashamed and wanted to cry, but I just went home and decided not to go to school anymore until these blisters were gone, not even in the tutoring sessions.”

Since the incident, Shermalin became even more shy and didn’t want to leave their house, even just to play outside. Her mother Marida, a housewife, was worried about her daughter’s condition, and even more so with her long absence from school because this meant that Shermalin wouldn’t be promoted to the next grade level. Marida didn’t know who to ask for help, nor did they have the resources to bring Shermalin to a doctor for check-ups. Her husband Legasti’s daily earnings as a fisherman are not even enough for their daily needs, let alone medical needs.

Part of the SBESP/2 intervention is to provide assistance to children with special needs and conduct referrals for special cases. Under this component, the project team assisted Shermalin to consult a doctor and purchase medicines for the blisters on her hands. After about two weeks of straight medication, her blisters disappeared, and she is now able to write her lessons in class and has returned to the tutoring sessions. Slowly, Shermalin gained back her confidence with the help of the other learners at the tutoring sessions who welcomed her and made her more hopeful about finishing her studies again.

“I am happy that CFSI and EDUCO assisted us, especially with my hands. I was able to go back to the tutoring sessions and to school and am now better at writing.”

“I am really thankful to CFSI and EDUCO for the assistance to have my child treated and for giving her the chance to study again. If not because of you, her condition would have been worse by now and she may never go back to school again.” – Marida, mother of Shermalin

Sama Bajau Education Support Project Phase Two (SBESP/2) generally aims to improve the retention and completion of in-school children, particularly students at risk of dropping out (SARDOs). It is being implemented by CFSI in two barangays in Zamboanga City with support from EDUCO Philippines. The tutoring sessions of the project aim to provide support for distant learning or homeschooling, through material support to Department of Education (DepEd) for the reproduction of contextualized modules and support to continued access to education through assistance in answering modules among Sama Bajau children in primary grade levels. The SBESP/2’s intended outcomes and outputs consider the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, most especially those related to the implementation of distance learning methodologies guided by the DepEd Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) for 2020-2021.