Manila: The Child Find System (CFS) in the implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 11650, also known as the Inclusive Education Act, establishes a comprehensive framework for the inclusion of learners with disabilities (LWDs) within the country’s educational system.
According to Philippines News Agency, under RA 11650, the CFS is defined as a system that identifies, locates, and evaluates all learners with disabilities who are not receiving basic education services. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian highlighted this during a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education. He emphasized the need to locate learners up to 24 years old to facilitate their integration into the general basic education system.
Gatchalian presented data showing that while the Department of Education (DepEd) recorded 351,147 enrollments of LWDs in the 2019-2020 school year, this number decreased to 323,344 in 2023-2024. He attributed part of this decline to the pandemic, which affected many students, including those with disabi
lities. He noted that it has taken nearly four years for enrollment numbers to approach pre-pandemic levels.
The senator cited estimates from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which suggest that there are 1.595 million Filipino learners aged 2 to 17 years with disabilities. This means that the current number of enrollees represents only about 20 percent of the total estimated population of learners with disabilities. Gatchalian stressed the necessity of the CFS to increase enrollment and encourage parents to bring their children with disabilities to school.
Gatchalian called on the Department of Health, the National Disability Commission, and the DepEd to conduct a house-to-house survey through the Inter-Agency Council to better implement the CFS. He also urged the DepEd to publish the implementing rules and regulations of RA 11650 to ensure its full implementation.
RA 11650 mandates that all learners with disabilities, whether in public or private schools, should receive services and reasonable
accommodations based on their Individualized Education Plan. They also have the right to appropriate support and related services.
