EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE TBOLI

A Term Paper
Presented to
Mr. Fernando Sequete Jr.
Department of Science and Mathematics
CED, MSU-IIT

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For CITE 101 (Teaching Indigenous People)
Second Semester, SY 2012-2013

By:
Apale, Ariane Joy T.
Barnedo, Michelle A.
Macalisang, Lee S.
Pacaldo, Charis Joy T.
Paran, Aianna Paula M.

March 13, 2013

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE TBOLI

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Introduction
A. Background
B. Thesis Statement
Body
A. Alternative Community Education Program (ACEP)
B. Tboli SIKAT (School of Indigenous Knowledge and Traditions)
Conclusion
Appendix
Bibliography

INTRODUCTION
Indigenous Education is a pillar of empowerment, progress and employment. It transmits
knowledge crucial to the survival of the tribes. Indigenous Education revitalizes cultures and

traditions that are gradually eroding, nurtures native life ways, defends ancestral domain and
promote self-determination.
A. Background
This is a study on the educational system of the Tboli Tribe, Indigenous people in
Southern Mindanao and among the most socially marginalized groups in the Philippines, with
limited access to basic socioeconomic services such as health and education. During the past few
years, Tboli educational system focused on educating their men; TBoli women are often
deprived of access to full basic education and married early. However, significant changes
nowadays alter the Tbolis traditional ways of education.
B. Thesis Statement
There is a need for a Tboli mother to have a proper education for her to effectively
impart knowledge to her children.

BODY
The T'Boli is one of the 87 tribal groups in the Philippines which make up fifteen (15)
percent of the population. Their number approximately 60,000 and reside inland from the

southern coast of Mindanao. Like their Muslim neighbors, the majority of TBoli women were,
as the opening profile suggests, mute attendants to their families, husbands and farms.
(http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/the-tboli-profiles-transition)
As one of the Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, they have limited access to
education, therefore high level of illiteracy is found. In particular, Tboli women have been
disproportionately marginalized from accessing education due to their traditionally ascribed
social roles as mothers and care givers for their families. Given that these roles are perceived to
require no more than cultural education, women are often married early while families prefer to
invest their insufficient resources on the education of boys. (http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?
menu=4&programme=64)
Furthermore, education begins at home. In relation to that, parents need to be educated so
they could impart their knowledge to their children. The children must be given the opportunity
to

be

custodians

of

the

knowledge,

skills,

values,

and

tradition.

(http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=4&programme=64) In that case, if the father is the

only one that is educated and at the same time the one that is the source of income, how could
the children learn from them if the father is busy and the mother is not educated?
However, the Philippine Government and other concerned countries developed
educational programs that would help to improve the educational system of the Indigenous
Peoples,

particularly

on

the

Tboli

Tribes.

(http://www.academia.edu/1889024/Indigenous_Peoples_and_the_Local_Government_Building
_Good_Governance_in_the_Philippines)
The following are the present educational programs of the Tboli Tribe:
A. Alternative Community Education Program (ACEP)

The ACEP is a community education program which is being implemented in line with
the Education for All (EFA) goals. It endeavors to enable socially marginalized and illiterate girls
and women to be functionally literate. It is based on the Contemporary Cultural Continuity
Framework (CCCF) which advocates for the adaptation and integration of traditional knowledge
and education systems to contemporary learning contexts. CCCF-based community education
initiatives encourage learners to reflect on the positive and negative aspects of T'boli traditions,
knowledge and cultural systems and their adoption to enhance the learning process. The program
is currently being implemented among the Tboli indigenous people living in South Cotabato,
Mindanao province in partnership with the local Department of Education (DepEd). The
program is designed to help women acquire basic literacy skills and focuses on three major
themes: Health and Nutrition, Culture and Family Relations and Livelihoods. It aims appropriate
learning programs addressing the functional literacy needs of girls and women who were not able
to finish basic education and developed education programs towards enriching contemporary
continuity of indigenous knowledge system and beliefs amid Tbolis appropriation of modern
life ways. (http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=4&programme=64)
B. Tboli SIKAT (School of Indigenous Knowledge and Traditions)
The Tboli SIKAT follows the basic curriculum set by the Department of Education
(DepEd) but they integrate indigenous learning so that the Tboli culture and tradition are
ensured to be passed on to the next generation. (http://harrybalais.com/travels/sikat-advocatingindigenous-learning-in-contemporary-setting/) Aside from the core subjects required by the
DepEd , the school also has a subject on the Tboli culture, where children learn about their
tribe's dances, songs,

art, and language. Tboli SIKAT has scheduled performances of

indigenous music, arts, and sports every Wednesday. (http://harrybalais.com/travels/sikatadvocating-indigenous-learning-in-contemporary-setting/) The classrooms are all made from

local materials and are designed to look like traditional Tboli houses. Currently, there are more
than 100 students from grades 1 to 6 who are being taken care of by four teachers. The students
from the first and sixth grades have their own separate rooms; while the students from grades 2
and

share

one

room,

as

well

as

the

students

from

grades

and

5.

(http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/lhannierozmontez-1556934-39-boli-tribelhannieroz/)

CONCLUSION
Therefore, the TBoli women must be given the opportunity to be custodians of the
knowledge, skills, values, and tradition that are unique to our indigenous culture. In inheriting
this responsibility, Tboli women must be involved in nurturing, maintaining and transmitting
knowledge for future generation. And in order for them to do that, they should be given equal
educational opportunities as the Tboli men. Thus, through them, the Tboli children will learn to
value their heritage, contribute to sustaining the natural resources of the land and serve their
communities with dedication.

APPENDIX (Pictures)
The following are the TBolis SIKAT school pictures.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Online Sources:
http://harrybalais.com/travels/sikat-advocating-indigenous-learning-in-contemporary-setting/
http://suanalange.de/sikatpage/about.htm
http://www-01.sil.org/literacy/lit90/adullite.htm
http://www.academia.edu/1889024/Indigenous_Peoples_and_the_Local_Government_Building_
Good_Governance_in_the_Philippines
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/lhannierozmontez-1556934-39-boli-tribe-lhannieroz/
http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/the-tboli-profiles-transition
http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=4&programme=64