PIA News Release
ARMM to receive fresh AusAID support in education
Isabela, Basilan (8 April) -- The Government of Australia plans to provide a long-term support to the improvement of the quality and access to education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim in Mindanao (ARMM) through the introduction of another round of assistance that builds on the successes of the now concluded eight-year Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) project.
The announcement was made in a press statement from the ARMM's Bureau of Public Information.
BPI quoted Ramon Bobier, BEAM project director, to have said that the new program would be a 5 to 10 year support to basic education exclusively implemented in the ARMM provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, and the City of Marawi.
As the project officially ended in November last year, efforts are now being undertaken to draw up the new project through a 12-month implementation support to BEAM-ARMM design with the involvement of several stakeholders. The new phase will include the implementation of a peace education framework specifically tailored to suit the needs of children in the region, the BPI said.
ARMM School and regional officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) have recently participated in a two-day workshop forum on peace education sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) to help craft the said framework.
A handout given during the forum describes peace education as education that is geared toward a culture of peace, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines as "a growing body of shared values, attitudes, behaviors and ways of life based on: nonviolence, respect for fundamental rights and freedoms; understanding, tolerance and solidarity; sharing and free flow of communication; and full participation and empowerment of women."
The ARMM Education Secretary however underscored that peace education framework should have Islamic teachings as its foundation, the BPI press statement said.
Education Sec Hamid Aminodin Barra, who provided an input on Islamic framework on peace and respect for human dignity in the forum, averred that the Islamic context must always be considered in any project that will be undertaken in the ARMM, even as he also allayed apprehensions that this could contribute to extremism as "Islam is a religion of moderation."
Education officials in the ARMM affirmed that the AusAID-BEAM project has helped improved the learning outcomes of school children in the field of English, Science and Math. The AusAID-BEAM project has also increased accesses to children living in remote and depressed communities - with its wide-ranging and innovative schemes. Education officials however admitted that school children in the ARMM still lag behind over other regions in terms of literacy.
The new AusAID support will focus on the particular education needs of ARMM with its unique culture and diverse populace taken into consideration. (BPI/PIA9-BST)
