Hundreds of stakeholders join first-ever BARMM Education Summit

DAVAO CITY — Flocks of education stakeholders from the academe,  local government officials, development partners, and international agencies, among others, joined the first-ever education summit of the Bangsamoro Government happening here today until tomorrow, Dec. 5 - 6, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang.
 
Led by the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), the summit serves as a focused, intensive, and inclusive venue for consultations on continuing education and ground-up organizing for the education sector in the region.
 
The summit is the culmination of an earlier series of pre-education summits conducted in the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur and del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and the Special Geographic Area.
 
Head of the Government of the Day Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, in a recorded message, expressed his desire for the education summit as a fundamental avenue for nation-building.
 
"The Education Summit is an opportunity to replicate the message of how significant education and literacy are in nation-building. It is also a venue to strengthen and empower local school boards, school governing councils, and parent-teacher associations," said Ebrahim.
 
The Chief Minister stressed that he envisioned "an inclusive education for all learners and educators".
 
"We do not choose whom to teach and who will teach. We aspire for a Bangsamoro Region where no learner is left behind and no educator feels unappreciated, underserved, or unheard," he added.
 
Meanwhile, in his State of the Education Address, MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal also emphasized that "education is a pillar of nation-building".
 
"It can help society sustainably and logically sustain and overcome significant impediments – poverty, injustice, corruption, and conflict," said Iqbal.
 
During the activity, Iqbal also read the message of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte which stressed the role of education in post-conflict reconstruction and in sustaining the gains of peace.
 
“We counteract violent extremism by nurturing among our children and youth the values of inclusion, tolerance, conflict resolution, and non-violence,” Duterte said.
 
“Let us work together to reshape the future of BARMM by strengthening our education system, filling the learning gaps caused by the pandemic and instituting a culture of peace curriculum to ensure a successful post-conflict reconstruction,” the Vice President added.

One of the highlights of the summit is the launching of the Bangsamoro Education Reform and Development Plan (BERDP) with a focus on mobilizing action, solidarity, and innovative solutions to reform education by 2030.

This serves as the leading document in formulating education plans and policies in the Bangsamoro region from 2021 until 2030.

In her message of support, UNICEF Country Representative in the Philippines Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov expressed their continued support for the region.

“We are one with the Bangsamoro Government in welcoming all children back to school – including those with disabilities, the internally displaced, and the members of indigenous communities,” Oyun said.

Oyun stressed that “every day in the classroom is a chance to build a stronger, more efficient, and inclusive educational system towards realizing the rights of every child”.(Abdullah Matucan/BIO)