Learning modules with discriminatory content on Igorots corrected by DepEd

Recently, posts about a couple of learning modules have circulated over the social media containing activities with discriminatory contents against the indigenous population of the Cordillera region, known as Igorots. Since then, Province Rep. Maximo Dalog said that the Department of Education (DepEd) has immediately corrected the said learning modules.

In a letter of explanation from the DepEd-Cordillera Administrative Region that Dalog received, he said that one of the concerned modules was printed by a school from another region. He said that the copies were immediately retrieved when the agency's attention was called.

According to Dalog, DepEd-CAR Director Estela Cariño who is also an Igorot, she said that the other regional office has urgently rectified the matter by immediately modifying the content although she did not identify the source. An apology was made to CAR, she added.

In deeply expressing its sincerest apologies for making use of the Igorot tribe as example in the learning materials, the source region admitted that they were not able to look into the social contents of the materials during the quality assurance process,

Dalog said, as stated by the letter from Cariño. 

Earlier, attention of other regions and schools division offices using the modules was called by DepEd-CAR official to make changes on the learning materials.

In a letter Dalog wrote to Education Secretary Leonor Briones, he urged DepEd to hold accountable those who are behind the books and learning modules as they were apparently designed and published to malign and discriminate the people for being Igorots.

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In one of the modules, Igorots were portrayed to have dark and curly hair. This was from a book published by Saint Matthew's Publishing Corporation in 2001. The publisher later apologized in 2018 for offending the Igorots and assured that the books having such contents were no longer being published and is out of print.

We disagree on such account because in reality, a person with curly hair does not truly represent the actual appearance of an Igorot,

remarked by Dalog.

Another module with discriminating content that has circulated in social media includes an activity where students were asked to analyze a given hypothetical situation and decide if they are right or wrong. It reads, "Hindi ako makikipaglaro sa aking kaklasi na Igorot dahil iba ang kanyang pananamit." 

Additionally, another activity asks students to indicate a correct response to “Nakita mong tinutukso ng kaklase mo ang isang batang Igorot dahil sa kanyang anyo.”

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In response to such discriminatory contents, thousands of Igorots has countered the matter through a hashtag “Proud to be Igorot” sharing their photos and experiences that has since been trending in the social media.

DepEd said errors in other modules will also be corrected.