“Madrasah education is integral to our people’s aspiration to share our educational policies and system. Therefore, the Bangsamoro deserves genuine autonomy that all parties should honor. A thriving autonomy is the true solution to the recurring internal conflicts in the region.”
— BARMM Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal
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MANILA, July 19, 2024 (SDN) — Dignitaries, including from the country’s diplomatic community, joined Bangsamoro and Australian officials in unveiling on Thursday, July 18 — as they celebrated — the signing of the Madrasah Education Strategic Plan (MESP) at Dusit Thani Manila, Makati City, Metro Manila.
The MESP, or the Plan, spells out the commitments of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) from 2024 to 2026 aimed at enhancing the quality of formal madrasah education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Comprising the Bangsamoro region are the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi; the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi; and the Special Geographic Area (SGA) with eight municipalities within the area of North Cotabato province.
Headed by Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, the MBHTE is one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro government. The 2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) established the BARMM in 2019, setting off the start of the implementation of the decade-old Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed on March 27, 2014, by the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Iqbal’s MBHTE, which has around 66,000 personnel, inclusive of more than 25,000 teaching personnel, has Directorate General for Basic Education (DGBE) under Director General Abdullah P. Salik, Jr,, Directorate General for Madaris Education (DGME) headed by Directorate General Prof. Tahir G. Gandawali Nalg, and Directorate General for Technical Education (DGTE) led by Director General Ruby Andong.
“Madrasah” means “school” in English. The MBHTE’s madrasah implementation as an educational system focuses on developing “Muslim learners to be morally upright and committed to excellence.”
It is part of the education ministry’s recognition of madrasah (plural: madaris) education’s significant role in contributing to the peace and stability, and the future of development of the Bangsamoro region. Its long-term goal is developing future Muslim professionals and innovators who could drive economic growth, peace, and stability in the region.
Always been a reliable partner of the Philippine Government in the Bangsamoro peace process, the Australian Government provided technical assistance to the Ministry through its Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao Program (simply, Pathways) in developing the Plan, conducting policy reviews of madrasah education, led consultation sessions with the relevant partners, and facilitated expert consultations to support the process of drafting the MESP.
Australia is pouring funds of up to 80 Australian dollars for nine years (2017-2016) through Pathways to strengthen K-to-3 education and increase MBHTE’s capacity to support policy and education reforms.
Among officials of the Australian Embassy present at the event included Deputy Head of Mission Dr. Moya Collett. She spoke before over a hundred event attendees from the BARMM, Department of Education (DepEd) and other National Government Agencies (NGAs), diplomatic community, and others.
“As neighbors and strategic partners, Australia and the Philippines share the goal of achieving a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region — and we believe that education plays a vital role in achieving this,” Moya emphasizes.
She assured her government’s constancy of commitment for the partnership. “I thank our friends and partners from the Ministry for their continued dedication in strengthening education policies in the BARMM. Australian remains committed to working with you in shaping a more peaceful and prosperous region.”
In a related development at the event, the MBHTE and the Universitas Islam Darul Ulum (UNISDA), a “pesantren” madrasah) in Indonesia, entered into a deal which a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) spelled out. Iqbal and University Rector Dr. Muhammad Hafidz Nasrullah signed the MOU.
Nalg described the MESP as encompassing programs aimed at enhancing the quality of formal madrasah education, aligning with the targets outline in the national SDGs, or sustainable development goals), of the Philippine Development Plan PDP), and the twin Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) and the Bangsamoro Education Reform and Development Plan (BERDP).
He said this may include scholarship opportunities for Bangsamoro students at UNISDA.
Going back to the MESP, included in its coverage is the Ministry’s goal to increase the number of Bangsamoro learners — regardless of gender, physical ability, and social economic status — by 30 percent. By 2025, the target is to raise the number of formal madrasah institutions by 15 percent, the MBHTE said in a statement provided to reporters.
The Ministry described this as vital in institutionalizing madrasahs because it will allow the MBHTE to monitor and regulate the quality of education and services they provide to learners in particular, and the community, in general.
It should be noted the MBHTE’s achievements as it made huge strides in the integration of traditional madrasah into the Bangsamoro education system.
The MESP signals mainstreaming of madrasah education in BARMM
Presently, a total of 373 madrasah that deliver K-to-12 and Islamic education have been recognized. A policy guide developed with the Australian Government is also supporting the accreditation of 444 non-formal madrasahs. On the other hand, the MBHTE also have plans to develop a standardized curriculum for all madrasahs, including non-madrasahs, with the aim of accrediting them in the future.
The BARMM education chief cited initiatives to strengthen the Islamic schools’ role in nation’s unity.
“Strengthening madrasah education represents ‘unity in diversity’. It demonstrates Bangsamoro’s firm commitment to preserving our region’s rich historical, religious, and educational heritage while creating an inclusive environment where every learner, regardless of background, can succeed,” Iqbal notes.
“Madrasah education is integral to our people’s aspiration to share our educational policies and system. Therefore, the Bangsamoro deserves genuine autonomy that all parties should honor. A thriving autonomy is the true solution to the recurring internal conflicts in the region.”
It can be recalled during the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that she created a Madrasah Development Coordinating Council (MDCC) in September 2004, with the aim of mainstreaming the madrasah education as a vehicle to help achieve peace and progress in Southern Philippines.
She tapped then Presidential Assistant for Education Mona Valisno and Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA) Executive Director Zamzamin L. Ampatuan to co-chair the MDCC.
Arroyo’s creation of the MDCC through Executive Order No. 283 followed Western government’s demonization of madrasah education as a source of extremism, as they, apparently, blame it for the rise of the militant Taliban, the madrasah students who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
At the press conference with Iqbal and Nalg, the former said the crafting of the MESP represents the mainstreaming of madrasah education in the Bangsamoro region.
Iqbal said there are people who have closed hearts that even how much they are shown the truth, they will never change.
They are few, the BARMM education chief pointed out. Among Filipinos, he noted, there are many more whose hearts are open to the truth about madrasah education. “They are our audience, not the one with the close mind.”
Iqbal expressed hope and optimism that down the road majority of Filipinos will come to understand and appreciate madrasah education and its role in the Bangsamoro journey for peace, progress, equality with their countrymen. (♡)