BAUKO, Mountain Province (PIA) — Schools in Mountain Province are preparing to adopt a new educational approach that highlights Indigenous Knowledge, Skills, and Practices (IKSPs).
A collaboration between the Department of Education (DepEd) – Mountain Province and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the initiative aims to ensure that the output of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) is based on a curriculum distinct to a certain municipality.
Ella Mae Membrere of NCIP–Mountain Province emphasized that the partnership aims to produce a unique curriculum for each municipality — one that reflects its own culture, traditions, and indigenous skills.
“This is for the continuity of culture and traditions that we have,” she said.
Planned for full implementation next school year, this program will see the Tadian School of Arts and Trade and Guinzadan National High School teaching backstrap weaving; Sadanga National Technical Vocational and Skills Training High School offering lessons on stone walling; and Bila National High School teaching pottery.
During an earlier workshop, NCIP–Mountain Province Provincial Officer Michael Umaming underscored the crucial role of educators in this effort, emphasizing that IKSPs are a valuable legacy that must be preserved and shared with the youth.
Umaming also expressed concern over the gradual fading of essential cultural values such as lawa, inayan, paniyew, and binnadang. He stressed that these are not just abstract concepts but living principles that guide daily life and community harmony.
He further linked indigenous values to environmental stewardship, reminding a core belief among indigenous peoples that “The earth is borrowed from our children, and we must return it to them in a better state.”
Through this collaboration between NCIP and DepEd, Mountain Province hopes to strengthen cultural roots while nurturing a new generation of learners who take pride in their indigenous identity and understand the importance of preserving their cultures and traditions. **JDP/VJLT – PIA-CAR, Mountain Province
