Century-old Philippine School for the Deaf now a modern hub for future-ready learners

Differently abled students inside the newly rehabilitated PSD beauty care room. | PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SM FOUNDATION

The Philippine School for the Deaf has been a cornerstone of the deaf community in the Philippines and throughout Asia.

Established in 1907, PSD has a long and proud history of providing educational opportunities for deaf students. As the only government-owned institution for the deaf in the country, it plays an essential role in empowering individuals with hearing impairments and fostering their inclusion in society. 

However, years of dedicated use would take their toll on PSD’s facilities, leaving them in need of significant refurbishment, particularly the senior high school laboratory building.

The new laboratory building enables teachers to impart essential skills to help their students pursue fruitful careers outside the classroom.

“Our challenges include the rehabilitation, major repairs and maintenance of the school facilities and buildings,” PSD principal Shery Funcion said. “Because of these, limited ‘yung mga magagawa ng ating mga learners. The teachers cannot really maximize the tasks and activities they give to the students.” 

“Alongside other challenges, we had issues with the ventilation and the lighting inside the senior high school laboratory building. Dahil mainit at madilim, nahihirapan ang mga guro gawing effective at efficient ang kanilang pagtuturo” (Because it was hot and dark, the teachers couldn’t teach properly), she said.

With the common goal of empowering the youth and fostering a culture of achievement, the Henry Sy Foundation and SM Foundation recently collaborated with DepEd’s School’s Division Office-Pasay and Pasay Local Government Unit to strengthen the capabilities of PSD students by equipping the PSD with modern learning spaces specifically designed for practical subjects like dressmaking, electronics and IT.