Unit 7.

Learners in Other Marginalized Groups

Introduction

In this unit, you will be able to understand the marginalization in education. You
will learn the different marginalized group in the society and in education. You
will study a method in identifying the marginalized groups in the school
community. Being aware of the marginalization issues in the school community is
important as part of the society so that appropriate response can be done to
address these issues.

Objectives

At the end of this unit, students will be able to . .

 Define what is marginalization in the context of education

 Determine factors of that cause marginalization
 Demonstrate understanding on the framework that is used in identifying
and addressing marginalization in education
 Recognize the different learners in marginalized group and their cause of
marginalization.

I. Marginalized Education

Marginalized is a coined term used to describe the experiences of those who live
on the fringe of mainstream America during the Social Revolution of the 1970s.
United States Agency for International Development defines marginalized as
those who are denied, or have very limited access to privileges enjoyed by the
wider society. They form a marginalized class because they are perceived as
deviating from the norm, or lacking desirable traits, and therefore are excluded or
ostracized as outsiders, because of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability,
or geography. Chua (2014) further defines marginalized as the part of the
economy that does not fall under the purview of organized economic activities or
the government. These are the people that face different issues and problems like
insufficiency of employment opportunities, exploitation and harassment, exposure
to work hazards, deprivation of basic human rights like education.
Marginalization in education originates from cultural beliefs, values and norms
that prejudice the acceptance and recognition of other people within their social
standard. UNESCO reports that the marginalized usually have lower levels of
educational attainment and therefore deprivation in education is the highest form
of marginalization.

In its 2020 GEM report on inclusive education, UNESCO emphasizes that

enormous amount of effort required in reimagining education and un-learning
systems of oppression, listening to communities, and evolving mindsets, skills,
and knowledge to be able to create inclusive settings that truly open up
opportunities for us to learn with and from every student. It states the importance
of education in neutralizing inequality and the prevailing illiteracy among the
marginalized groups.

Messiou (2012), in his study, emphasizes the need to engage with and to hear the
voice of the learners in order to understand the marginalization and furthermore,
address it. He also discusses the issue of labelling, wherein a learner is
categorized in group where he or she belongs depending on the needs or
challenges that the learner has. Clark et.al (1995), as cited by Messiou said that
this is directed at identifying what features within schools facilitate such response
and what processes can be initiated which would bring those features about. In
his earlier research, Messiou (2003) conceptualized marginalization as perceived
by young learners. He then defined marginalized as taking one of four forms:

i. when a child is experiencing some kind of marginalization and is

recognized almost by everybody including himself/herself;
ii. when a child is feeling that he/she is experiencing marginalization whereas
most of the others do not recognize this;
iii. when a child is found in what appears to be marginalized situations but
does not feel it, or does not view it as marginalization; and, finally,
iv. when a child is experiencing marginalization but does not admit it
(Messiou, 2003; Messiou, 2006a; Messiou, 2006b).

However, he stressed that these are not categories of marginalization as the child
experiences but a suggestion of how marginalization is to be thought as
experience by children in relation to certain school context.
 Furthermore, he suggests that these forms of marginalization as perceived by
students must be taken into consideration so as to provide a hint or idea to what
marginalization looks like to children. Knowing this, schools need to examine
their processes, systems and occurrences that may increase awareness and
develop response to marginalization. As adults in education, it is also imperative
to us to be knowledgeable of these and find ways to end it.

II. Marginalization and Inclusion

In his paper entitled Engaging with students’ voices: using a framework for
addressing marginalisation in schools, Messiou (2012) highlighted that engaging
with students in their natural environment and hearing their ‘voice’ would help us
understand and address marginalization in the school setting. This means that we
need to interact and listen to what children say and do not say. We also need to
pay attention to their words, behavior, emotion and interaction with other
students. As Sandberg (2016) suggested “listening to and taking into account the
children’s different voices is an essential part of research and education that
strives for inclusion, learning and well-being of all children.” This means that as
adults in education, we need to take into consideration the children and what they
have to say in developing and planning educational setting.

Messiou (2012) discusses in his book Confronting Marginalization in Education:

A framework promoting inclusion the developed framework that focuses on the
interaction and activity among students and adults in education that would address
marginalization and promote inclusion. The framework is based on different ideas
and can be used in schools by researchers, educational practitioners and even
students who participate in as co-researchers and researchers.
Step 1. Opening doors: Enabling voices to emerge.
In this step, the students are the focus. They are the viewed as active participants
and not as subjects. There are various methods and techniques that is used to elicit
students concerns and allow them to voice out their issues that might lead to
marginalization. These methods are role-playing, discussion groups, visual
imagery, and other ways to observe social relationship. In this part, the behavioral
practices that may lead to marginalization as exhibited by the students are
detected.

Step 2. Looking closely: Bringing concerns to the surface.

Information acquired from the previous step are closely examined in this step. It is
used to recognize and determine if the learners experience forms of
marginalization in school or any issues that might lead to marginalization. Experts
carefully analyzed these data and identify these learners and determine necessary
steps that could be taken in the next steps.

Step 3: Making sense of the evidence: Sharing data with learners,

After careful analysis on the previous stage, steps are taken to address the issues.
The anonymity of the student/s is of utmost importance. This phase includes the
dialogue between and among the student involved, the researchers and
practitioners. Collaboratively, they need to take steps that would help them to
deeply understand and make assumptions.

Step 4: Dealing with marginalization: Encouraging inclusive thinking and

practice.
In this phase, persons involved in the step three start to make suggestions in
addressing the concerns and issues that emerged from the previous steps. This is
when concrete actions and responses are done based on the evidences that are
examined. Again cooperation is needed to successfully undertake the measures
that are suggested.

Messiou (2012) recommended that the framework cannot work alone.

Collaboration is vital in applying these steps. Thus, for the framework to become
successful, good leadership is needed in order to make sure that the processes are
done and followed to keep everyone committed to the framework. This success
means ‘authentic engagement with students’ voices and the emergence of
democratic dialogue amongst teachers and students.’

III. Different Learners in Marginalized Groups

According to Charter For Compassion, a marginalized identity is anyone who
feels or is, “underserved, disregarded, ostracized, harassed, persecuted, or
sidelined in the community.” Possible groups include but are not limited to:
1. Child Laborers and Domestic Workers
International Labor Organization defines child labor as “work that deprives
children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to
physical and mental development. It refers to work that is mentally, physically,
socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and/or interferes with their
schooling” According to UNESCO Data, slightly more than one in four children
are engaged in child labor in the world’s poorest countries.

Twenty nine percent of children aged five to seventeen are victims of child labor
in Sub-Saharan Africa which has the largest proportion of child laborers in
comparison with Middle East and North America which only have 5 percent of
children in the same age group performing potentially harmful works. (UNESCO,
2019). Meanwhile in the Philippines, 12 percent of the 26.6 million children of
the same age is engaged in child labor.

Three main international convention attends to the issue of child labor: ‘the
International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 138 concerning
minimum age for admission to employment and Recommendation No. 146
(1973); ILO Convention No. 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action
for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor and Recommendation No.
190 (1999); and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These
conventions frame the concept of child labor and form the basis for child labor
legislation enacted by countries that are signatories.’ (UNESCO)

In his study, Guarcello et.al (2008) emphasized that education is the key element
in the prevention of child labor; at the same time, child labor is one of the main
obstacles to Education For All (EFA). This means that the need to understand the
interplay of child labor and education is vital in eradicating child labor and
achieving education for all. These marginalized learners are deprived with
education because of poverty, situated in war and conflict or victims of calamities.

2. Indigenous People
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA)
recognizes indigenous peoples as inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures
and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social,
cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the
dominant societies in which they live.
There are approximately 476 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, in over 90
countries. Although they make up over 6 percent of the global population, they
account for about 15 percent of the extreme poor. Indigenous Peoples’ life
expectancy is up to 20 years lower than the life expectancy of non-indigenous
people worldwide. (WorldBank.org, 2019)
According to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), a
global human rights organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and
defending indigenous peoples’ rights, there is no certain number of indigenous
peoples in the Philippines. It is estimated about 10 to 20 per cent of the country’s
population. They are mainly concentrated in Northern Luzon (Cordillera
Administrative Region, 33%) and Mindanao (61%), with some groups in the
Visayas area. (UNDP)

Despite their cultural differences, indigenous peoples from around the world share
common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.
They have been facing issues concerning their ancestral domains, their basic
human rights and assertion of their right do education. Their deficiency in
education is caused by several factors according to UN.
i. Lack of respect and resources cause critical education gap. Educational
system more often than not do not recognize nor respect the cultural diversity of
indigenous learners. There are only few teachers who could speak their language
and their schools lack resources. The rights of indigenous people are more likely
to be violated and often they do not enjoy these rights. The education gap between
the IP and the rest of the population remains critical,
ii. Invisible and at risk. Often, children in the indigenous community are not
registered in civil registrars. These unregistered children less likely enjoy their
rights as the constitution states. One primary requirement in schools is the birth
certificate which these children do not have, hence, they are less likely to be
admitted in the school.
iii. Education often irrelevant. The curriculum designed by the education
department sometimes do not recognize cultural variations. The curriculum do not
teach these learners the skills and knowledge that they could use in their
community or the indigenous economies. Indigenous learners often cannot relate
to what they teach in the issued textbooks. These materials often do not promote
inclusion and localization. For example, the learners cannot recognize or do not
know cars, trains or airplane as mode of transportation because the only means of
transportation they have are carabaos.

Fortunately, interventions to address the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd)

were made and continuously being developed. The UNESCO developed the
Effective Literacy Practices for Indigenous Peoples Platform which aims to deal
with the issues in education faced by indigenous communities. Furthermore, the
Philippines also instituted the National Indigenous Peoples Education Program
which subscribes to inclusive, culture-sensitive, and flexible enough to enable and
allow schools to localize, indigenize, and enhance based on the community’s
educational and social context. (deped.gov.ph)

3. Abused children
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), child maltreatment is the
“abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. It includes all
types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence
and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to
the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship
of responsibility, trust or power.” This social is identified worldwide as an
existing social issue and a violation to human rights. Nearly 3 in 4 children - or
300 million children - aged 2–4 years regularly suffer physical punishment and/or
psychological violence at the hands of parents and caregivers while one in 5
women and 1 in 13 men report having been sexually abused as a child aged 0-17
years. (WHO, 2016)
Maltreatment has exhibited lifelong impact to children in terms of their emotional,
social, mental and physical aspect. Their education is greatly affected because
abused children is often different in their social interaction and they often lose
focus in their studies. The WHO says “consequences of child maltreatment
include impaired lifelong physical and mental health, and the social and
occupational outcomes can ultimately slow a country's economic and social
development” Other studies have found that violence against children also
correlates with poor educational outcomes in the long run. In rich countries, for
example, studies have found that individuals who are exposed to sexual and
physical abuse in childhood are more likely to drop out of college (Boden et al.
2007 and Duncan 2000 as cited by Ospina 2018)

4. Children in Conflict Zones

“The futures of millions of children living in countries affected by armed conflict

are at risk, as warring parties continue to commit grave violations against
children, and world leaders fail to hold perpetrators accountable “ – UNICEF
Children are the first victims of war. According to United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF), children are the most vulnerable to abuse, trafficking and
exploitation during the times of war and emergencies.
Joanna Santa Barbara (2006) discusses in her article Impact of War on Children
and Imperative to End War the impact of war to children. First, children may be
displaced or lose their families “A certain proportion of war-affected children lose
all adult protection – “unaccompanied children,” as they are known in refugee
situations.”(Barbara, 2006) Second, children’s life trajectory could be greatly
affected and may adversely affect their lives. Third, they may experience
disability, injury, illness, psychological suffering and even death.
According to UNICEF, 27 million children are out of school in conflict zones.
Conflict-affected countries include over 20% of all children of primary school
age, but account for around half of all out-of-school children of primary school
age (UNESCO, 2011, 2013). This means that the likelihood of children to drop
out of school in conflict afflicted areas is higher than those of not. This is a
challenge to countries to give action to educational system in war zone and most
importantly to address the main source of the issue, the war itself.

Let’s Do It!

1. What is Marginalization?
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2. How does marginalization affect children?

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3. What are the different marginalized learners and why are they marginalized?
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4. Can you think of other marginalized learners and why do you think they may
be considered marginalized?
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Reflect!
 Devise a program proposal or intervention that can be used in addressing
the issue of marginalization in your locality.
 Make a reaction paper about marginalization in your country and the
existing programs and policies of the government to address the issue.