DAVAO CITY – The Department of Education of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) showcased here on Monday its major accomplishments under the administration of Gov. Mujiv Hataman, as it prepares for the looming transition of ARMM to Bangsamoro.
Atty. Rasol Mitmug, Jr., ARMM’s Education Secretary, said they are now better off compared with that of the previous administrations, especially in providing quality education to children and the youth.
“We have gone a long way since Gov. Mujiv Hataman assumed office,” said Sec. Mitmug, adding DepEd-ARMM has largely improved since it implemented its education reform agenda.
It can be recalled that ARMM was once mired by issues such as “ghost schools, ghost teachers and ghost students,” poor quality and unfinished classrooms, delayed salaries, and unremitted premiums of teachers to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
“We’re happy to note that all these issues were addressed as early as 2014,” Sec. Mitmug said, adding, DepEd-ARMM has beefed up its data collection and management systems to eliminate those problems in the past and now has developed plans that are evidence-based, and aid in decision-making.
“We’ve paid the salaries of our teachers on time and resolved their P1.9 billion unpaid GSIS premiums to keep them motivated to teach,” he said.
DepEd-ARMM, he added, also trained its school heads in classroom construction management.
“Unlike in the old days, our school heads would now check every corner of newly-constructed classrooms to look for discrepancies before they sign handover papers,” he said.
He also noted that while students in ARMM continue to lag behind in the National Achievement Test results, DepEd-ARMM has put in place systems and mechanisms that will strengthen educators’ professional development.
These include teachers’ training, implementation of Learning Action Cell, efforts to contextualize the curriculum, and the provision of learning materials to both teachers and students. “Results of these initiatives will be evident in the medium term,” he said.
Sec. Mitmug said he is confident that the Bangsamoro government can build on the gains of ARMM’s education reform agenda. “We are happy to facilitate the smooth transition of DepEd-ARMM to an Education ministry under the anticipated Bangsamoro government,” he said.
Responsive Innovation Fund
Meanwhile, Sec. Mitmug said they also launched a grant facility dubbed as Responsive Innovation Fund (RIF) that will fund innovations in education. He said the grant facility will provide opportunities for all education stakeholders to contribute to the delivery of quality education in the ARMM.
“Education is everybody’s business. We want everyone to contribute brilliant ideas, or innovations, that will result in improved learning outcomes of our schoolchildren or strengthen education governance in the region,” said Sec. Mitmug.
RIF, he said, is one of the key features of DepEd-ARMM’s Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao (Pathways), a program funded by the Australian Government.
Sec. Mitmug added that among the priorities of RIF are providing primary education to children and youth that have no access to schools, bringing out-of-school children and youth back to school, embedding ARMM’s rich cultural heritage in learning, and promoting peace-building through education.
“The RIF grants range from P500,000 to P4 million,” Sec. Mitmug said.
He said DepEd-ARMM also welcomes proposals from parents, teachers, and local government units in ARMM, as well as from civil society organizations, local, and international development organizations.
The projects funded by RIF would run for six months to one year, or longer, especially for longitudinal studies, he said, adding, interested applicants may visit www.pathways.ph/rif to know more of the facility and to download the application form. He said applications can be sent through rif@pathways.ph or to the Pathways Program Management Office located at DepEd-ARMM, ORG Compound in Cotabato City. (Bureau of Public Information)
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