Over 7,000 SNED teachers needed

CEBU, Philippines — Over 7,000 special needs education (SNED) teachers are needed to ensure that 323,344 learners with disabilities have equitable access to quality education, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said on Sunday.

Gatchalian found out that public schools nationwide are facing a shortage of 7,651 SNED teachers during an oversight review of Republic Act No. 11650, also known as Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act.

Gatchalian stated that there is an estimated shortfall of 7,651 SNED teachers based on public school enrollment for the School Year (SY) 2023-2024. To date, there are only 5,147 SNED teachers, while there are 323,344 learners with disabilities aged two to 17 enrolled for SY 2023-2024.

“One of the challenges in implementing inclusive education is the supply of qualified teachers. The intention is to address the supply issues in terms of teachers with knowledge in special needs education,” Gatchalian said.

The senator urged the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to work closely together to ensure the availability of qualified SNED teachers.

Republic Act No. 11650 institutes the policy of inclusion in all public and private early and basic education schools. These schools are mandated to ensure that all learners with disabilities have equitable access to quality education, such that no learner shall be denied admission on the basis of disability.

The law also aims to train and equip teachers and school personnel in the care, development, education, and advancement of learners with disabilities. Under the law, the DepEd is mandated to collaborate with the CHED to ensure that updated courses on inclusive education, which respond to the diverse needs of learners with disabilities, are included in bachelor of elementary or secondary education programs.

Republic Act No. 11650 also mandates the development of a scholarship program for in-service teachers to pursue required master’s degree units in special needs education, inclusive education, or related courses. Grantees will be required to fulfill a return service obligation within the DepEd.

“The reason why we wanted to come up with a scholarship program is precisely to address the shortfall, because moving forward, as we encourage more parents to send their children to school and as we implement the Child-Find System, we will see an uptick in enrollment and we have to make sure that we have teachers who are trained in special needs education,” said Gatchalian, sponsor and co-author of Republic Act No. 11650. (CEBU NEWS)