Mindanao educators hold conference on Muslim education roadmap

Some 75 regional directors and schools division superintendents of the Department of Education (DepED) in the six regions of Mindanao, as well as key officials from the DepED Central Office, held a Mindanao Conference on the Implementation of the DepEd Muslim Education Roadmap on 10 April at the Regency Inn, Davao City.

The conference was a joint undertaking of DepEd and the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) Project. BEAM is a DepEd project funded by the Government of the Philippines and the Government of Australia through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). It aims to improve the quality of and the access to basic education in the southern and central Mindanao.

The conference provided a venue for sharing of accomplishments, experiences and concerns in the pilot implementation of the Arabic Language and Islamic Values (ALIVE) classes in the public schools. It was also an opportunity to learn from the implementation exemplars of the National Capital Region, Region 9, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City Divisions.

Dr. Manaros B. Boransing, DepEd Undersecretary for Mindanao Affairs, was the keynote speaker. He was instrumental in steering the development and implementation of the roadmap starting from the curriculum development in 2004.

The roadmap is the result of a series of consultations with DepEd officials, Muslim educators and the Ulama (Muslim religious leaders).

The DepEd Muslim Education Roadmap is an affirmative action to redress the long-standing historical disadvantage of Muslim communities. It is also a mechanism for peace-building that promotes tolerance, acceptance and harmony. (Noor Mohammad D. Saada and Judy T. Rola)