Australia-Philippines partnership in inclusive education gains ground in Bangsamoro

COTABATO CITY (July 12, 2024) — In Cotabato City, over 470 students at the Madrasah Dar Al-Uloom Wal Hikmah Institute, Inc., an Islamic school supported by the Australian Government, are learning inclusive education to foster peace and development in their communities.

Madrasah is an Islamic educational institution that aims to develop Muslim learners to be morally upright and committed to excellence. An ideal madrasah education is holistic – covering intellectual, spiritual, social, psychological, and physical growth. It includes peace education, religious studies, Arabic language, and general subjects while adhering to national standards. Approximately 1,700 formal and non-formal madrasahs serve more than 84,000 learners across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). 

Since 2017, the Australian Government has been working with the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), the Department of Education (DepEd), and local education partners to standardize madrasah education. It is their view that by strengthening its quality, accessibility, and inclusivity, madrasah education will help build peace and development in the BARMM.
Madrasah Dar Al-Uloom Wal Hikmah Institute, Inc. is one of 25 model madrasahs that implements the standard madrasah curriculum with a balance between general K-12 subjects and Islamic teachings that focus on the holistic development of Bangsamoro learners.

Australia also supported the development of the Madrasah Education Strategic Plan, which sets out the education priorities to accelerate student learning outcomes in the BARMM and address key challenges in formal Madrasah education.

“The Australian Government has supported joint efforts to increase enrolment in formal madrasah education. And we are happy to see that nearly 4,000 more students enrolled this school year, compared to the previous one. We are committed to continue working closely with our partners to improve access to inclusive education, which we believe will help build peace, stability, and security in the Bangsamoro region,” said Vivienne Sykes, Development First Secretary of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines.

MBHTE Director General for Madrasah Education Prof. Tahir G. Nalg said: “The institutionalization of Madrasah Education is still in its infancy – and so the help of partners like the Australian Government and other international organizations, is very crucial and timely.”
Ustadh Wahab Omar, Principal of Madrasah Uloom commended Australia’s support through the Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao Program: “Australia’s technical support has helped improve the madrasah educators and administrators ability to deliver quality education.”

During a recent visit to Madrasah Uloom, Australian representatives led a storytelling activity and provided early grade reading materials to K to 3 learners. Australia provided technical support in developing these reading materials to ensure that their content are relatable to the students’ lives, experiences, and environment.

“We are grateful to Australia for these materials as they will help improve the reading skills of our K to 3 students, and make it easier for our teachers to teach reading because they no longer have to source reading materials from the internet,” said Madrasah Uloom Principal Ustadh Omar. (PR, BMN/BangsamoroToday)