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COTABATO CITY — In a significant step toward ensuring safer and more supportive learning environments, the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) thru the Legal and Legislative Liaison recently held a two-day workshop focused on updating and strengthening school-based child protection policies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Under the leadership of Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal, the MBHTE is one of the 15 primary ministries of the BARMM.
This initiative brought together educators, school administrators, and key stakeholders to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to effectively implement and enhance child protection measures across BARMM schools.
In its first day the workshop laid the foundation by introducing the MBHTE-BARMM Child Protection Policy, ensuring participants were thoroughly familiar with its framework and principles. This session highlighted the critical importance of recognizing and addressing child abuse, with a detailed discussion on its manifestations and implications within the school environment.
One of the speakers at the event was Johnny Balawag, director for Basic Education of the MBHTE.
The Safe School Declaration (SSD) in BARMM was also emphasized, reinforcing the regionβs commitment to maintaining schools as secure spaces where learners can thrive. Additionally, a comprehensive report on the current status of school-based child protection policies and recorded cases for the 2023-2024 school year was presented, providing participants with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for improvement.
On the second day, the workshop shifted its focus to practical implementation strategies, diving deeper into the roles and responsibilities of educators, administrators, and other stakeholders in safeguarding children. Participants explored preventive and remedial measures to address risks, clear procedures for recording and reporting incidents, and ways to ensure accountability at all levels.
The session culminated with a case study analysis, allowing participants to apply the step-by-step process of child protection in realistic scenarios, further solidifying their understanding of effective responses to various challenges.
Through this workshop, MBHTE aims to empower educators and school leaders to create and sustain child-friendly environments that prioritize safety and well-being. By fostering collaboration and raising awareness, this initiative reaffirms MBHTEβs dedication to protecting every learner in BARMM.
The Ministry emphasized that ensuring the safety of our children is not just a policy goal but a moral responsibility.
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 βYesβ 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. Β (β)