BARMM VOICES

In the lens of Bangsamoro, education is not just a service, it has become a site of political assertion, cultural preservation, and potential progression. At the focus of this are two parallel education systems: the public education system that was inherited from the Philippine national framework and the traditional Islamic madrasah system that is deeply focused in Moro identity. Both are well endowed and being reformed to cater under BARMM’s mandate, but there is still a critical question: Are they working together to close the gap in education? Or are they creating a parallel system that worsens inequality?

In a region that has a multicultural and interfaith society, the need for inclusivity especially in education is acknowledged. BARMM’s Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) has been finding ways of unifying these systems under the Bangsamoro Education Code of 2021. This legal framework focuses on an education that reflects a unified education where the region prioritizes inclusive, culturally responsive learning. It acknowledges madrasahs as fundamental to moral and spiritual learning development while aligning with national academic standards.

In Cotabato City, history was recently made on July 26, 2024, where there was the launch of the country’s first ever public madrasah which marked more than just a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was a shift in how Bangsamoro identity is taught, recognized, and preserved. For generations, madrasahs (Islamic schools) have been pillars of learning for Bangsamoro youth, teaching not only religious values but also grounding them in a cultural worldview often overlooked in mainstream education. Now, with public support and integration into the formal system, madrasahs are stepping into a new era, one where faith-based education may finally find its place alongside state-funded learning, without compromising its roots.

Nevertheless, progress is not linear and it takes a long time for progress to be sustained; as implementation is uneven. As there is a structural disparity between the state-funded schools and schools that are located in remote areas where they operate with limited resources and unrecognized from the larger system.

This is where structural disparity is clear. BARMM’s public schools still suffer from long-standing issues through the lack of resources and limited areas. In the 2022-2023 school year, BARMM was recorded as the highest classroom congestion areas in the country, particularly in elementary schools. While MBHTE is trying their best in pushing reforms, systemic issues such as lack of trained teachers, outdated materials, and inconsistent access to internet and electricity continue.

Meanwhile, private madrasahs face their own struggles as they have lack of accreditation and exclusion from government funding. Without formal recognition, students who complete madrasah education often cannot transfer credits to state schools or access scholarships. This creates a form of educational marginalization that disproportionately affects children from devout, rural, or low-income families.

Rather than unifying society, the current parallel education system may be establishing a cultural and class-based division. Children attending private madrasahs risk being left out of the economic mainstream due to limited accreditation. Meanwhile, those in public schools may receive little to no exposure to their own religious heritage or indigenous history which leads to widened gaps between social structures.

There is also the issue of language, because while madrasahs teach in Arabic and some local languages, state-funded schools prioritize English and Filipino. This linguistic difference creates barriers in learning and language comprehension which further widens the gap.

We have to ask what’s happening in status quo: firstly, who benefits from keeping madrasahs and public schools separate, underfunded, and not well connected? Is it just poor management, or a quiet way to stay in control by allowing the two systems to further worsen the divide?

REFERENCES:

Rasol Mitmug, Jr (2021) Bangsamoro Education Code of 2021.

 Faisal Camsa (2024) BARMM to institutionalize values, culture in PH’s first public madrasah https://bangsamoro.gov.ph/news/latest-news/barmm-to-institutionalize-values-culture-in-phs-first-public-madrasah/