Bishop laments closure of 55 Lumad schools in Davao region

A Catholic bishop lamented the Department of Education's decision to close –instead of improve –55 Lumad schools in the Davao region supposedly due to "some problems," a move that has affected  3,500 learners and teachers.

Bishop Reberto Mallari  of the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education said the closure was not the best option to address some concerns.

“I am saddened with the closure of the schools instead of making an effort to improve the education system,” he said on his Facebook post.

The Department of Education in Davao last Tuesday ordered the permanent closure of 55 Lumad schools in Davao region, a move that came four months after the agency suspended the operations of the schools for allegedly teaching “subversive ideologies.”

DepEd Davao also said that the schools run by Salugpungan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Centers also failed to comply with government requirements.

Mallari, the bishop of San Jose in Nueva Ecija has called on students and their teachers not to lose hope.

“I hope that their situation will lead them to hold on to hope instead of giving up,” Mallari said. —LBG, GMA News