“The gathering of a broad set of education stakeholders will respond to critical education issues and ensure meaningful engagement of learners, their families, and their communities.”

— Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal.

BARMM News

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COTABATO CITY/DAVAO CITY — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government welcomes regional and local governments, key stakeholders, and national and international education partners as they advanced education priorities at the inaugural BARMM Education Summit on December 5-6, 2022, in Davao City.

The summit served as a focused, intensive, and inclusive venue for consultations on continuing education and ground-up organizing.

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“The gathering of a broad set of education stakeholders will respond to critical education issues and ensure meaningful engagement of learners, their families, and their communities,” said Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal.

“It is convened in response to the global pandemic’s impact on education and to mobilize community action toward learning recovery and strengthening the systems toward nurturing successful learners in the Bangsamoro region,” he added.

Through recorded video, Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte delivered the Keynote Address for the Education Summit 2022, with the theme “Envisioning the learners’ success for the emerging learning future.”

Davao City Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte officially received Summit participants.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Hajj Murad” Ebrahim delivered the Inspirational Message as he set the tone for the advancement of education in the Bangsamoro region, while Minister Iqbal presented the State-of-Education- Address (SOEA) that highlighted the BARMM’s Education Landscape.

The two-day event highlighted the outcomes of a series of bottom-up consultations with education stakeholders, including the expanded local school boards in 11 school divisions from Cotabato City, Special Geographic Area (SGA), Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Lamitan City, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Maguindanao.

In cooperation with UNICEF (United Nations Children Fund) and Australian government’s Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao, the MBHTE organized the event.

The summit’s exercises concentrated on three work streams: regional consultations, action tracks, and civic engagement. Lawyer Naguib G. Sinarimbo, minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), presented “Reimagining the roles of local government on education in BARMM: A Review of Local Government Functionality, LSB, SEF, and ECCD Fund.”

MBHTE lawyer Sittie Mariam Balahim, on the other hand, presented a vision of a unified education system in BARMM (One-Ministry, Education Continuum, Integrated System).

Marching towards better quality, resilient and inclusive education

Lawyer Raissa Jajurie, minister of the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) provided policy responses and commitments for the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Program.

Key presentations and messages included presentation of the vision for a Successful Bangsamoro Learner; sharing of reflection from the pre -summit participants from the governors of Tawi-Tawi and Lanao del Sur, mayors of Cotabato City and Marawi City, school division superintendents of Maguindanao I and Lamitan City, and school heads of Basilan and SGA.

In addition, the summit included a session on the co-creation of policy, programs, and support, in which Minister of Parliament Eddie Alih from the Bangsamoro Parliament, lawyer Hamid Barra from the Ulama Sector, school heads from the SGA, Guiamel Alim of Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society from the civil society sector, and lawyer Ronald Torres of the BARMM Business Council (BBC) from the business sector participated in the lively reflection session.

The Bangsamoro Education Reform and Development Plan (BERDP) was launched with a focus on mobilizing action, solidarity, and innovative solutions to reform education by 2030.

Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, representative, UNICEF Philippines, and Nyi Nyi Thaung, programme specialist, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)-Bangkok, were among the battery of speakers during the event.

At the Summit’s end, it was envisioned that resources will be pooled to improve quality education in the Bangsamoro region, thanks to commitments from the Department of Education (DepEd) and important partners such as USAID (United States Agency for International Development), Australian Government, United Nations, Save the Children Philippines, The Asia Foundation (TAF) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“Let us all work together in the collaborative spirit of the BARMM education summit to make the educational transition a success for Bangsamoro learners,” Iqbal remarked. “Onwards to more quality, resilient and inclusive education.” — MBHTE Media Unit (/)