The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) will partner with its Australian equivalent to construct the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Madrasah Education Strategic Plan. The deal will be signed on Thursday, July 18. This major agreement sets the way for inclusive education in Islamic schools across the region.

Historically, education in Muslim Mindanao has experienced considerable obstacles because the Islamic context has not been integrated into the BARMM’s existing K–12 curriculum. Furthermore, unlike state schools, madaris (Islamic schools) do not receive adequate subsidies and budgets, and they struggle with inferior educational facilities and structures that are unsuitable for learning.

The new BARMM Madrasah Education Strategic Plan aspires to standardize madrasah education by improving “quality, accessibility, and inclusivity,” and, once implemented, will endeavor to improve core madrasah education priorities. These include boosting Bangsamoro student enrollment by 30%, harmonizing all learning materials for each topic with the new curriculum, and increasing the number of madaris with operating permissions by 15%.

“The Australian government has supported collaborative efforts to increase enrollment in formal madrasah education.” “We are pleased to see that nearly 4,000 more students enrolled this school year compared to the previous one,” Development First Secretary of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines Vivienne Sykes stated.

“We remain committed to 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,” she said.

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