BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal Signs the Revised, Final IRR of Bangsamoro Education Code

The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament enacted the BEC on May 18, 2021 and later signed on the same day Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Hajj Murad” Ebrahim and Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong.

At the signing ceremony of the BEC, it can be recalled that Minister Iqbal cited the importance of the law (formerly Parliament Bill No. 70). “Education is vital not only because it is a priority of the Bangsamoro Government’s development plans, but it is the bedrock on which we build on the hope and future of the next generations,” he emphasized.

Bangsamoro region embraces “peace education”
“Through quality, inclusive, and balanced education, we hope our learners will thrive in their selected professional endeavors and effectively contribute to the well-being of their families, communities, and the Bangsamoro region,” he added.

The BEC mandated the formulation of the IRR, which is a product of a series of consultations with the different stakeholders of the Bangsamoro Education Community that culminates into a two-day finalization activity facilitated by the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the IRR Finalization. Major participants of the activity were MBHTE officials, particularly director generals, schools division superintendents, administrators of the higher education institutions, Technical Education and Skills Development (TESD) provincial directors, and administrators on August 1-2 in Davao City.

The IRR aims to supplement the provisions of the BEC and provide concrete mechanisms for its effective implementation to the end that no Bangsamoro child shall be left behind in the pursuit of quality, accessible, inclusive, and liberating education.

These rules shall apply to all combinations or activities of persons or entities representing the Bangsamoro Education System, including those pertaining to the formal, non-formal and informal, public, and private learning institutions, at all levels such as the basic, higher, technical, and madrasah education.

The BEC is one of the priority legislations of the BTA, including Administrative Code and Civil Service Code (both earlier enacted) and (which still have to be passed are Electoral Code, Local Government Code, and Revenue Code.

One of the major components of the BEC is “peace education”, designed to be a core component of the Bangsamoro education system. To implement this, peace education needs to be integrated into the curriculum of all educational levels in the Bangsamoro region, a political entity that saw and experience and suffered decades of conflict.

As the BEC embraces peace education as one of its core principles, the BEC is understood to be implementing the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) also mandates the BEC to work on the establishment of “a tribal university system to address the higher educational needs of Indigenous Peoples (IPs).”

Provided in the tribal university system is “a school system where the IPs’ language, culture, and traditional knowledge of their elders are incorporated in the curricular and extracurricular activities of the students.”

Teachers of madaris (plural of madrasah — Islamic school) as the BEC mandating the MBHTE in coordination with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in the BARMM

Under the BEC also through the MBHTE, in coordination with the BARMM Civil Service Commission (CSC) also aims to provide madrasah teachers security of tenure through a special qualifying examinations for their permanent appointment.

Minister Iqbal filed the Bangsamoro Bill No. 70 in October 20, 2020 at the region’s Parliament, which provides “an act providing for the establishment, maintenance, and support of a complete and integrated system of quality education in the Bangsamoro”.

He said the bill was “more than just a product of the legislative process.” (EKU) — (/)

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Source: https://bangsamoro.gov.ph, MBHTE.