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COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Embassy of Turkiye in the Philippines have broken ground on a Friday, September 27, for a planned Turkish Educational Academy (TEA).
TEA, a three-storey building, will be constructed and established at Ummah Village, Upper Capiton, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, one of the Bangsamoro region’s component provinces.
According to the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), the academy is expected to open opportunities for learners and employment for teachers and is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing educational opportunities in the region.
The establishment of the educational institution aims to provide high-quality education tailored to the needs of the learners, in collaboration with several organizations, including the Human Foundation, Deniz Fenerari Foundation, Dostelli Association, SASA Foundation, Ribat Foundation, Hayrat Insan Vakfi, and the International Jurist Union.
The MBHTE, one of the 15 primary ministries of the BARMM, together with the partners are committed to ensuring that Bangsamoro students receive the support they need for a quality education while also bringing opportunities for teacher training, making use of the expertise of Turkish educators in teaching methods and professional development.
During the opening ceremony at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex (SKCC), MBHTE Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal expressed his strong support to the establishment of the academy and his gratitude to the Turkish government and international organizations for their vital role in bringing this project to life.
“This initiative will not only facilitate learning but also strengthen the ties between the Bangsamoro and Turkish peoples,” he said.
This academy represents a beacon of hope, offering students access to better educational resources and opportunities. With a focus on inclusivity and quality, that aims to empower future generations and bridge cultural gaps between the Bangsamoro and Turkish communities.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim, and Turkish officials such as Ambassador Niyazi Evren Akyol and Nazif Yilmaz, Deputy Minister of National Education.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction. With the recent plebiscite at SGA, the BARMM now has eight new municipalities as residents voted “Yes”.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities (plus eight newly established under the SGA: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur. (✓)