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COTABATO CITY — To make education truly inclusive in BARMM, the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) convened the Inter-Ministry Forum on the Inclusive School Approach (ISA) last September 26, 2025, at the Grand Summit Hotel, General Santos City.
“BARMM” is the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao created through the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The event, supported by the Australian Government through its Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao, brought together senior officials and education stakeholders from key government agencies to advance inclusive education in the region.
The forum marked a pivotal step toward ensuring that every Bangsamoro learner — regardless of ability, background, or circumstance — has access to quality education through coordinated government action. ISA began as a pilot in Timanan, South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, in 2021 and has since expanded across the division. MBHTE plans to scale the initiative region-wide, reinforcing BARMM’s commitment to inclusive education.
Participating ministries included MILG-BARMM, MOH-BARMM, MIPA-BARMM, MSSD-BARMM, and BWC-BARMM. Beyond presenting MBHTE’s findings and ISA initiatives, the forum served as a collaborative platform for ministries to exchange data, programs, and interventions. Attendees explored joint actions and policy directions to ensure a holistic, inclusive response for Bangsamoro learners.
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 — now eight new municipalities — that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: 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. (✓)