USING THE MOTHER TONGUE AS A BRIDGE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION IN TWO SCHOOLS IN LAPAZ, A Case Study

Yolanda S Quijano and Ofelia Eustaquio

Background Information

The municipality of La Paz, is an interior town of Agusan del Sur, one of the provinces in . It lies south of Prosperidad, the provincial capital, and of San Francisco, a major transportation and trading hub of the province. A third class municipality, La Paz has an annual income of Php850,000 derived from logging and farming (chiefly corn and rice). Based on ethnolinguistic grouping, 90% of the population is Manobo while the remaining 10% are either Cebuano and/or mix of Cebuano and Manobo.

According to the Year 2000 Census, the municipality has a total population of 20,880 with 15 barangays in 3,754 households. It consists of one school district consisting of 23 public elementary schools and two high schools. Current elementary enrolment (SY 2007-2008) of La Paz district shows that 73% (3,192) of the pupils are Manobos (Southern Mindanao) and the rest (27%) are Cebuano (Cebu), Ilonggo (Iloilo), Boholano (Bohol), Ilokano (Northern ) and Surigaonon (Southern Mindanao) – people groups from elsewhere in Mindanao and the central . Two public elementary schools in La Paz District are the subjects for this case study. These are Logpond 3 IP Experimental School and Langasian Elementary School.

The people of the community where the two schools are located have only three livelihood activities: farming, fishing and driving a single motorcycle. In most cases, a man engages in two or even all of the economic activities.

To produce the bulk of food supply, husband and wife plant gabi (sweet potato), kalibre (cassava), and vegetables. Corn is the staple food of the people. Small-time farmers who plant corn finance their planting by borrowing money from others who have more in life. Those who do not own farm animals rent a carabao for P100 per day. At harvest time, they pay their loans and whatever remains of the cash they keep. Freshwater fishing in a nearby lake is major economic activity especially in Logpond 3.

Due to road conditions, driving a habal-habal (single motorcycle) to transport people to town is a means of livelihood. Men and their wives who sell freshwater fish and agricultural products ride the motorcycle. The teachers in these schools also ride the motorcycle when they need to go home on weekends or transport official business on weekdays.

Linguistic Information

The national language of the is Filipino. It is embodied in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. It provides the legal basis for the various language policies that are being implemented in the country.

According to Gonzales (2003), McFarland’s estimated 120 languages, 10 are considered major languages based on the criterion of having at least one million speakers (as of the last

1 census of 1995). These languages are Tagalog, Cebuano Bisayan, Hiligaynon Bisayan, Waray (Eastern Bisayan), Ilokano, Kapampangan, Bicol, Pangasinense, Maranao and Maguindanao. The latter two are really dialects of the same language but are considered separate by their native speakers for reasons of history and political rivalry.

Though Minanubu is not included as one of the major languages in the Philippines (only 0.33% in the entire nation), recent census of population (2000) shows that in the province of Agusan del Sur, Manobo comprises the 2nd highest number of population by ethnicity and therefore Minanubu is used as their lingua franca at home.

Household Population by Ethnicity, Agusan Del Sur, 2000 Ethnicity Both Sexes Agusan del Sur 558,414 Cebuano 171,276 Manobo 87,543 Hiligaynon 50,707 Boholano 39,765 Butuanon 23,865 Other 182,730 Other Foreign Ethnicity 102 Not Reported 2426

Children in the three schools of the pilot program use Minanubu as their first language at home. The presence of inter-marriages and other settlers, mostly Cebuanos, makes Cebuano- Bisayan the 2nd language used in communicating especially when they go out of their locality. Filipino and English are considered their 3rd and 4th languages, respectively. While in school, the traditional expected media of instruction in the classroom are Filipino and English, both foreign to the students. In a traditional approach, the students are expected to read, write and master curriculum content and objectives in these two languages while at the same time acquiring and learning these two new languages.

Philippine experience reveals that various first languages or mother tongues are actually used informally in teaching young children especially during the first two grades in the public schools. But the use of the first languages however, is not supported with instructional materials. From Grade 1 all materials and much of classroom instruction are in the two official languages – Filipino and English - even for children who speak neither language at home. Some teachers initially use the prescribed language for particular subject (Filipino or English) and then translate into Manobo or Cebuano Visayan (in case of teachers who do not know Manobo language) for the students to understand the lesson. Since the students do not understand the Filipino or , they often wait for the teacher to translate it for them before they try to respond or follow the teachers instruction.

2 National Educational System

The Philippine educational system is anchored on fundamental legal documents, the most important of which are the Philippine Constitution of 1987 and the Education Act of 1982. The educational provisions mandated in the Constitution have been articulated in the Education Act of 1982, which provides that:

The State shall promote the right of every individual to relevant quality education regardless of sex, age, creed, socio-economic status, physical and mental condition, racial as well as ethnic origin, political or other affiliation. The Sate shall promote equality of access to education as well as the enjoyment of the benefits by all its citizens.

The State shall promote the right of the nation’s cultural communities in the exercise of their rights to develop themselves within the context of their cultures, traditions, interests and beliefs, and recognize education as an instrument for the maximum participation in national development and in ensuring their involvement in achieving the national unity.

Free public basic education is 10 years: six years for the elementary level and four years for the secondary level with preschool education offered in most schools.

Consistent to the Philippines’ 1987 constitutional mandate is the Department of Education’s language policy under Department Order No. 52, s. 1987 entitled The 1987 Policy of Bilingual Education.“ This Order reiterates the basic provisions of Department Order No. 25, s. 1974 (Implementing Guidelines for the Policy on Bilingual Education) by stating that the “policy on bilingual education aims at the achievement of competence in both Filipino and English”. The policy statement also emphasizes that “the aspiration of the Filipino nation is to have citizens possess skills in Filipino to enable them to perform their duties and responsibilities as Filipino citizens and in English in order to meet the needs of the country in the community of nations”. The specific subjects in which each language should be used are the same as those indicated in Department Order No. 25, s. 1974. This is the use of English and Filipino as media of instruction in Grades I and II in all schools and the regional languages shall be used as auxiliary media of instruction and as initial language for literacy, where needed.

In addition, English and Filipino were to be taught as language subjects in all grades in the elementary and secondary schools. Filipino was to be the medium of instruction in specified subject areas as follows: Social Studies/Social Science, Character Education, Work Education, Health Education, and Physical Education. English was to be the medium of instruction in all other subjects.

Methodology and Implementation Process

Implementation of the Culture Responsive Curriculum for Indigenous People (CCIP): Preparatory Work

In response to the recommendations of the study conducted on curriculum indigenization by the University of the Philippines-School of Economics (UPeCon) in 2002 for the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP) of the Department of Education, local initiatives to support indigenous people and address specific concerns of pupils in the indigenous people (IP) communities were conceptualized. Aimed to improve school’s academic performance, the program was called Culture Responsive Curriculum for Indigenous People (CCIP). Basic components of the program included:

3 § the use of the mother tongue in learning concepts and skills § teacher training § preparation of indigenous instructional materials § community participation.

The CCIP Program implementation in the Division of Agusan del Sur started in 2002 under the leadership of the then Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Beatriz Omay. A survey to gather data on the number of indigenous people in the area was conducted and served as the basis for decision making relating to the location of the program. The program was handed over to the then district supervisor and at the same time coordinator for CCIP in the division, Mrs. Elena Acacio. Being new in the division, with a limited knowledge about the program, and coming from a different background, being a Leytena, she admitted she had second thoughts of how she could lead the implementation of the program. But knowing its urgency and importance, she had to find ways to make it work. As an initiative, she visited Schools of Indigenous Knowledge and Tradition (SIKAT) Office in Tagum, Davao Oriental for orientation on the programs for IPs and to identify ways in which the Office could help her. She was also sent by the Division to attend trainings relevant to the education of children from IP communities. With her dedication to work, support from colleagues and funding from TEEP, the program finally came to its realization. The CCIP Program implementation covered nine schools but this case study focuses only on two schools in La Paz District. Below is the over-all profile of these schools.

Year Total Enrolment No. of Grade Classification School CCIP School Year Teachers Handled Started 04-05 05-06 06-07 Logpond 3 IP 2002 68 51 65 1 I & II Incomplete Experimental 1 III, IV, V Multigrade School 2 Langasian Elem. 2004 172 178 170 2 I A & I-B Complete with School 1 II Combi- 1 III & IV nation 1 V & VI classes 5

Logpond 3 IP Experimental School and Langasian Elementary School are both multigrade (MG) schools. The former is an incomplete MG school while the latter is complete MG school. The teacher-pupil ratio is approximately 1:33.

The CCIP program in these schools had the following objectives:

§ to use the mother tongue in instruction for indigenous pupils who could not easily cope with the Filipino and/or English language § to develop and inculcate spiritual and civic values among indigenous pupils and take pride in one’s culture, tradition and virtues § to provide teachers with skills, strategies and teaching aids and materials in the integration of indigenous education in the Basic Education Curriculum; and § to write and preserve local folklores, poems, songs, riddles, proverbs and other reading materials and artifacts.

4 Community Mobilization and Support

During the height of the implementation of the Third Elementary Education Project in Year 2002, a series of consultations and meetings with community stakeholders were conducted to discuss the possible opportunity of implementing a program wherein the Minanubu language would be used as a medium of instruction in teaching Grades 1 and 2 and integrating Manobo culture in appropriate subject areas. Most of the community members were glad and excited about the program knowing their community would benefit from it. But a few were also apprehensive especially the use of Minanubu language in teaching. They aired their concerns that since their children already know the language, they want them to learn new languages like English and Filipino since these are the languages used in urban areas.

With continuous dialogue, consultations and the presence of Manobo teachers who were also residents of the place who acted as advocates of the program, the community was finally convinced. There were also efforts to explain to them the importance and benefits of using the mother tongue in teaching the early grades. In school year, 2002-2003 the program was finally accepted and initiated in Logpond 3 IP Experimental School in La Paz district. Logpond 3 was a newly opened school then (it only opened in SY 2001-2002) and the funds for the school building including the salary of teachers came from the Local Government Units, the municipality and the province.

The community stakeholders provided support to the program by sharing their local knowledge about the Minanubu language and culture and attending the school’s important activities. Some of them acted as resource speakers during the series of trainings conducted for teachers. They also helped in the preparation of instructional and reading materials in Minanubu. In recognition of their help to the school, the division in gave them certificates of appreciation for the invaluable contributions they gave.

These activities were replicated in Langasian Elementary School in SY 2004-2005.

Aside from the community support that the schools were getting, Datu Manggosawon also known by his Christian name as Teofilo Gelacio, the tribal leader of the Manobo in Agusan provided constant help in the implementation of the program. He often visited the schools to discuss with the community people and the teachers the progress of the program as well as their problems and offered to them his advice. Experts from the Asian Council for People’s Culture were also involved during the training. They discussed the important components of the culture that should be integrated in the lessons.

The school staff together with the elders, parents and other stakeholders from these IP communities participated in the preparation of the School Improvement Plans to ensure that the activities for the CCIP would be included. These are indications that the communities are taking ownership of the program.

Funding

The funding for this program came from a number of sources. Initially, from the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP) of the Department of Education which received funding assistance from the World Bank and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Funding for school materials and supplies came from the Division of Agusan, Department of Education and the Local Government Units of the province of Agusan and the

5 municipality of La Paz gave funds for the honoraria of some teachers.Starting SY 2006-2007, funding requirements for the program are addressed by the Department of Education.

Teacher Training

Division and local trainings for teachers and the school heads were conducted by the Division Office with experts on the education of IPs coming from local organizations and teacher training institutions. Likewise, local people who spoke the language were also invited to attend appropriate training events. The teachers who attended these events did not have any training in the use of the mother tongue for teaching in their pre-service education. They were either native speakers of the Minanubu language or non-native speakers of the language but had Manobo pupils in their classes. They also attended national trainings conducted by the central office of the Department of Education in which national experts on IP education gave lectures or acted as facilitators in workshops. The series of training events focused on the following:

§ Orientation about the program; § Status of IP education in the Philippines; § Making indigenous instructional materials with input from experts and community members serving as resource persons, speakers, evaluators and editors; § Construction of teaching aids and devices including Big Books for instruction in the first language and the proper utilization of these materials in different subject areas; § Integration of Indigenous Education in the Basic Education Curriculum through demonstration teaching, workshops and lectures (e.g teaching beginning reading in Manobo).

Supervision and monitoring of the implementation of the program was done by the division, the district supervisors and schools heads. The Division of Agusan del Sur has developed a support system to monitor schools’ activities and provide technical assistance as needed.

Curriculum Development

The curriculum of the two schools followed the Department of Education’s Basic Education Curriculum. Like any other school, all subject areas indicated for each grade level were taught with the same time allotment. The Philippine Elementary Learning Competencies (PELC) was the main resource for the content and skills to be taught. The medium of instruction differed since the mother tongue (Minanubu) was used in Grades 1 and 2 in teaching the different learning areas. The native speakers of the language handled these classes.

The medium of instruction in Grades 3 to 6 was either Filipino or English depending on the learning area taught. But when pupils found it difficult to understand the concepts in Filipino or English language, the teacher used the mother tongue. Added to this, the teachers were integrating local culture, values and traditions in their lessons to make the teaching learning process more relevant and participatory. The instructional materials used and reading book,s which were translated in Minanubu language, were all geared toward the promotion of the learners own culture, values and beliefs and were based on real life situations in the community. These were also enriched through the use of local artifacts. A special feature in

6 the curriculum was the inclusion in the class program of a weekly 30-45 minutes lesson on Manobo culture. Local resource speakers were also invited to share with the pupils their culture.

Reading and Other Instructional Materials

The program started with a few reading materials (Ogsugug Kito Pagbasa and Ogbasa Ki) purchased from the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). The division coordinator asked permission to reproduce them so the teachers can use them in the classroom initially.

Funding from TEEP paved the way in the realization of providing schools with enough instructional materials and books. The funding helped to buy supplies and materials in the preparation of reading materials in the mother tongue (e.g. folktales, legends, songs, riddles, poems and proverbs) including big books, construction of teaching aids and purchase of Manobo dictionaries, reading books and comics from the Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Also, in support of the program, the TEEP Central Office provided schools with Lesson Guides for English, Math, Science, Filipino and Makabayan. These lesson guides have been reviewed by education and culture experts from the field, academic institutions and other organizations. The lesson guides enabled the teachers to enrich learning processes for pupils coming from cultural communities.

Below is a listing of the instructional and reading materials purchased and prepared for the program:

Title English Translation 1. Manobo Dictionary Manobo Dictionary 2. Ogsugud Kito Pagbasa Let’s Begin Reading 3. Ogbasa Ki Let’s Read 4. Kumiks to Manubu Manobo Comics 5. Mgo Sugilon Nu Minanubu Number 1-11 Manobo Stories 1-11 (Minanubu, Cebuano and English) 6. Mgo Sugilon Nu Minanubu Number 12- Manobo Stories 12-22 (Minanubu, Cebuano 22 and English) 7. Mgo Sugilon Nu Minanubu Number 23- Manobo Stories 23-33 (Minanubu, Cebuano 33 and English) 8. Og-anad Ki to Mgo Inigakihan Four Language Phrase Book (Minanubu, Binisaya, Filipino, English) 9. Cultural Music of the Manobo, Higaanon, Cultural Music of the Manobo, Higaanon, Banwaon of Agusan del Sur Banwaon of Agusan del Sur (in CD format) Sample Big Books prepared as an output of the training 10. Mga Kagamitan Sa Pagsasaka Farming Tools 11. Mga Ugsak Ku Pangapugon (Mga Things Used in Rituals Kagamitan sa Pagriritwal) 12. Mga Ikalihon (Mga Salawikain) Proverbs 13. Mga Minanubu Nu Kanta (Mga Awiting Manobo Songs Manobo)

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14. Mga Gamit To Panganup (Mga Gamit Sa Tools Used for Hunting Pangangaso) Other Materials 15. TEEP Lesson Guides in English, Math, Science, Filipino and Makabayan Materials translated by SIL 16. Minanubu: Seini Kalibutan Ta Our World 17. Gabino Mansaolog dow duma no mgo Gabino Mansaolog and other traditional sugilon narrations

The reading materials were used by children from Grades 1 and 2 and non readers in the higher grades. It helped teach reading and writing skills to the speakers of the Minanubu language. The dictionary was also useful to students and teachers who were non speakers of the language. But the pupils loved most the colored big books which were originally written by teachers themselves with the help of the community members who attended the training workshops.

Methodology

The development of reading skills in the mother tongue started with the pupils’ exposure to sounds, words, songs, poems, and short stories with pictures. Minanubu words with pictures were written down in charts and pupils practice reading them. Formal reading was taught through the Minanubu books following the reading skills in Filipino as outlined in the Philippine Elementary Learning Competencies.

Teachers observed that the pupils easily understood the stories because the situations and vocabulary used were familiar to them. They were comfortable in answering and asking questions, describing and retelling important events, and writing words and sentences called for in the classroom activities. They were active interactions between the teacher and pupils, pupils and pupils and pupils with the reading materials. Teachers realized that the existing Minanubu reading materials were lacking for the development of the reading skills required for grade 1 and they had to make their own stories. The phonics approach, sight word approach, experience charts and basal reader approach were the strategies utilized by the teachers.

For the Filipino subject in grade 1, the same strategies were utilized in the teaching of reading because the vocabulary and grammar are closely related with the Minanubu language. Other specific strategies were taken from the Teacher’s Manual accompanying the Filipino textbooks provided by the Department of Education.

Pupils’ skills in phonics and in phonemic awareness facilitated learning English sounds and sight words. Modeling in the pronunciation of the different sounds and words was given emphasis. The big books and picture stories in English were narrated by the pupils in their mother tongue. The teachers later on read to them the stories and the pupils checked whether their interpretations were correct. For pupils to practice reading the basic sight words for the three languages, teachers displayed in a chart the basic words in Minanubu with pictures and their translations in Filipino and English.

8 The reading skills acquired by the pupils in the mother tongue motivated them to look at available books written in Filipino and English. To sustain their interest, teachers allotted a specific time where children could choose the books they like to read and share what they have read to their classmates. Likewise, textbooks in other learning areas (Math and Science written in English and Makabayan or Social Studies written in Filipino) were given to them as references in learning concepts and developing skills.

Impact and Challenges

Assessments

Pupils’ learning achievement was assessed through the National and Division Achievement Tests (NAT & DAT). The NAT was administered to Grade 6 pupils by the National Educational Testing and Research Center, DepED Central Office while the DAT was given to all pupils from Grades 1 to 6 by the Division of Agusan del Sur. Assessment results from the NAT and DAT show that the schools performed better in the last two or three years’ tests given.

Schools National Achievement Test Gain Results SY 2004-2005 SY 2005-2006 1. Logpond 3 IP Experimental Not Tested Not Tested School 2. Langasian Elementary School 65.72 75.86 10.14

Langasian Elementay School had a 10.14 points gain from its previous year NAT result. Logpond 3 IP Experimental School was not tested in two school years because it did not have enrollees for Grade 6.

Schools Division Achievement Test Results Gain SY 2003-2004 SY 2004-2005 SY 2006-2007

1. Logpond 3 IP Experimental 42.24 34.97 School 72.71 77.21 4.5

2. Langasian Elementary 49.40 64.13 Not tested 14.73 School

In the Division Achievement Test, Logpond 3 IP Experimental School was among the top (5th place) performing schools in SY 2004-2005 DAT result and it sustained its gain in SY 2006-2007. Langasian Elementary School shows a 14.73 points increase in SY 2004-2005.

Considering the relevant performance indicators below, the schools also showed improvements for the last three years.

9 Performance Indicators Logpond 3 IP Experimental School SY 2003-2004 SY 2004-2005 SY 2005-2006 Number of Enrollees 68 51 Drop Out Rate 0.01% 0.24% 0% Repetition Rate 0.09% 0.4% 0%

Logpond 3 IP Experimental School registered zero drop out and repetition rates in SY 2005- 2006 although its enrolment decreased by 17 pupils. These pupils opted to help their parents earn money to sustain family needs rather than go to school. But the decrease could be considered temporary since its enrolment increased in SY 2006-2007 as indicated in its profile.

Performance Indicators Langasian Elementary School SY 2003-2004 SY 2004-2005 SY 2005-2007 Enrolment 192 172 178 Drop Out Rate 1.25% 2.67% 0% Repetition Rate 12.45% 0% 0% Completion Rate Grade VI 83.3% 89.60% 90%

Similarly, Langasian Elementary School had a zero drop out and repetition rates in SY 2005- 2006. The decrease in enrolment was due to poverty. The pupils decided to stop schooling in favor of assisting their parents earn a living. Its completion rates in the last three school years had increased.

A teacher of Logpond was asked whether she liked what she was doing and she said, “It is my Christian duty to teach these children. I also believe in indigenizing the curriculum primarily to preserve the local culture and in the use of the first language to learn better.”

When a group of pupils were interviewed, they all said they wanted to be good at reading, writing, and mathematics in both English and Filipino. They were able to achieve these when teachers made them understand the two languages through the use of their mother tongue..

Challenges

Mobilization and community awareness

It took time for the implementers of La Paz schools to convince community stakeholders to support the program. There were hesitations and unwillingness to participate primarily because they put importance on learning new languages like English and Filipino by their children rather than preserving their own culture and learning to read and write in their mother tongue. They were excited that their children acquire new language because their notion is that, acquiring new language will make them at par with those who are living in the urban areas. Continuous advocacy is on-going at the local level to change their attitudes so that they will wholeheartedly support the program.

10 Staffing

Newly hired teachers are usually assigned to remote areas, handling multigrade classes where IP children are enrolled. These teachers are not residents of the place and therefore non- speakers of the language nor do they have knowledge of Manobo culture. To make the situation worse. These teachers usually apply for transfer to a more urban setting and there is no time to train their replacement. While this is considered to be one of the biggest challenges in the educational arena, there are opportunities and alternatives. In an Inter- agency Committee Working for Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Education committed to prioritize the hiring of IP teachers who at the same time are residents of the place. But only very few are qualified since others have not yet passed the Teachers Licensure Examination.

Curriculum Development

There is a need to review and revise the competencies (content and skills) in Filipino and English (Grades 1 to 6) when the first language will be used in the first two grades. Oral fluency, reading and writing in the first language should be developed from Preschool to Grade 2 while building oral communication in the second and third languages (Filipino and English) in Grades 1 and 2. Likewise, content of the curriculum will vary from one cultural community to another in order to inculcate the culture, traditions, beliefs and others. The tasks necessitate the employment of experts in this area in the Department of Education.

Development of instructional materials and reading materials

Whether or not pupils learn in the classroom depends not on teacher performance alone but also on the availability, quality and appropriateness of instructional materials to support the teaching-learning process. The support of appropriate materials is a constraint often identified in the development of a localized curriculum. There is a need to complement the textbooks written in English and Filipino.This implies initiatives in coordinating with experts on IP education in this area at the national and local level to help develop the materials. Likewise, funding is needed not only in the development process but most importantly in the production of the materials. The schools have to be prepared to ensure these needs are met.

Conclusion

Neither Filipino nor English is the mother tongue of most of the pupils in the country and yet these are the media of instruction used in education. The pattern indicates there is a gap that needs to be filled up in order to deliver expected results in education. The effectiveness on the use of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction continues to be explored and studied until now. The use of the mother tongue enjoyed greater acceptance over Filipino as an informal or auxiliary medium of instruction and provided promising results as shown in the two schools of La Paz district. Therefore, it is important that the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction in the first two grades be sustained. As cited by the students themselves, it promoted spontaneous expression among them and served as an effective bridge of understanding between the school and the home which is clearly an indication of the beneficial effect of the program. The use of the mother tongue not only lightened pupils’ burden in coping with the lessons but promoted better understanding and cooperation between the home and school. It is not unusual to see a child entering school who finds the place almost everything different from home – the atmosphere, the people, and the activities -

11 which therefore he/she finds it difficult to adjust. The burden of adjustment is even made heavier when the language used is different from his/her mother tongue. To make a child deal with new ideas and information presented in an unfamiliar language is a double burden that slows down his/her progress. Through the use of the mother tongue, pupils and teachers exchanged ideas more freely in the classroom thereby facilitating optimum learning.

References

NETRC-Dept.of Education (2004 & 2005). National Achievement Test Results. Pasig City: Philippines.

Sutaria, Minda C., Guerrero & Castano (1989). Philippine Education: Visions and Perspectives. National Book Store, Inc. Manila: Philippines.

TEEP-DepEd Agusan del Sur (2004). Diwata News: Agusan’s Initiative on Culture Integration in the Curriculum & CCIP: Maximizing the Absoptive Capacity of Grades I and II Pupils in the IP Communities. Agusan del Sur Division Office. Philippines.

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