7/31/2019 27-e08

1/15

7/31/2019 27-e08

2/15

truly represents the aspirations, identity and interests of the Filipino Muslims. Madrasah

education has resulted to the integration of Islamic education into the thrusts and programs of theDepartment of Education. Like any other institution of learning, madaris are to be gauge on its

curriculum, administration (which include manpower), instructional supervision, facilities and

finances. These core tenets are the center of this paper.

One of the major thrusts of the government today is the integration of all educational

institutions in the country. Accordingly, the state is mandated to give priority to education among

others to foster patriotism as well as nationalism (Leon, 1987). Decrees have been promulgatedand laws passed to implement this particular provision of the constitution (Rodriquez, 1993).

Much more, (Rabasio, 1979) recommended in his dissertation entitled, The Muslim Madrasa of

Zamboanga del Sur, their Philosophy, Administration and Curriculum, 1974-1978 that a study

be made in the possibilities of integrating the Muslim madrazas and the School System. Theresearcher embarks on the task of looking at his recommendations as reflective of the national

policy framework of the Arroyo Administration vis--vis mainstreaming Islamic education in the

country.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has announced that the integration of the madrasah

system into the mainstream education curriculum will be a major avenue in providing the overalleducational requirements of Filipino Muslims, particularly in the armed conflict affected areas in

Mindanao with special focus in the Special Zone of Peace and Development areas (Macapagal-

Arroyo, 2002).

The primary consideration why this topic was chosen is the existing necessity for the

Philippine government to seriously look into the needs of the madaris and focus on the

educational reforms that suitably places the interests of the Muslim community at the forefront.It is still being desired by many Muslim parents that their children get an Islamic education that

is both reflective of their culture and tradition, replete with the necessary skills that will ensure

that Islamic traditions and identity is maintained and enhanced.

The state of Islamic education in the Philippines in terms of its institutionalization as well

as national public policy is still in its infancy stage considering that Her Excellency Gloria

Macapagal-Arroyo is yet the first president to be credited with concrete national policies thatensures full integration of the madrasah curriculum into the mainstream national education

sector. However, it needs refinement. It needs support in government accreditation as well as

evaluation and Islamic scholars, much more, needs to be recognized and accredited by theDepartment of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to make an impact in the

drive of the government to seriously look into the educational welfare of the Filipino Muslims.

The Department of Education Order 51 which was issued by then Secretary Edilberto C.De Jesus on August 28, 2004 addresses the need for the integration of madrasah education in the

national education policy however much needs to be done. Madaris and Islamic Education need

to be understood for what it is and what it will be in the future. How it will shape our community

will be dependent on how our government adequately responds to the needs of every madrasahand asatidz.

7/31/2019 27-e08

3/15

The issue about the purposeful integration of the madrasah curriculum into many public

schools is hanging on the balance because many operators in privately-run madaris are not opento support the governments thrusts to mainstream Islamic education via the Department ofEducation due to lack of open communication and misunderstanding. There is a growing

uneasiness and uncomfortable feeling among Asatidz in many madaris because their expertise is

not being duly recognized by the government. An Azatidz who obtained Islamic education in theMiddle East is not guaranteed to be duly recognized by the Department of Education or the

Commission on Higher Education thereby limiting their expertise and influence in the confines

of the madaris, their expertise not being duly attributed to the success of education in the formaleducational sectors.

With the Department of Education Order 51, it seems that the public schools are the onesready to comply without necessarily compelling the operators of privately-run madaris to

observe the order. The irony of this policy is that in most cases, teachers in the public schools are

not ready to adopt DepEd Order 51 and Asatidz in the madaris are ready to embrace the new

policy which they believed will restrict their teaching and curriculum. For the record, several

areas in Mindanao have been piloting the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education(ALIVE) program which endeavors to established a madrasah school under the supervision of

the Department of Education, complete with textbooks, instructional materials and measurementand evaluation mechanism to help assess students in these madaris.

The mainstreaming of Madrasah education in the Philippine Public education sector is

very relevant considering that there are many assessments made after 9/11 of the threats ofIslamic extremism that is hampering progress and development in Mindanao and of the

Philippines. On February 22, 2007, a new madaris building was inaugurated in Cotabato City in

the presence of Australian Envoy Tony Hely and some ARMM officials (Cotabato, 2007). Thishighlights the ever increasing inclination of the Arroyo Administration to better serve the

educational needs of the Filipino Muslims.

METHODOLICAL APPROACHES:

The research uses qualitative approach to ascertain the facts contained herein. The

researcher conducted informal interviews Head Asatidz, distributes questionnaires as well asconducted campus visitations. Although campus visitations were allowed, the taking of video file

for archival or record purposes was not permitted by the administrators of the madaris.

Translation has been generously supplied by Ms. Mila Samin, Instructor I of the JH CerillesState College. The study focuses more on the operations of madaris in the City of Pagadian. It

involves 87 Asatidz being studied in six different madaris. It uses questionnaires that are pre-

tested for viable application and translations are made in effect for better understanding among

the respondents.

Muslim Filipinos and Madrasah Education

Filipino Muslim communities around the country vitally need an educational system thattruly reflects their own traditions, customs, culture and identity. Why is it so when all of us are

Filipino regardless of our religious affiliation? It is because, like most secular religions that

7/31/2019 27-e08

4/15

maintains its own schools that lived up to its own standard, the Ulamas and Imams of this

country are far more convinced that educating the youths in the Islamic ways of life, culture andreligion is the very way towards sustaining their commitment towards being deeply committed,

responsible and dependable Muslims.

Republic Act 9054 otherwise known as the Organic Act on the Autonomous MuslimMindanao has been a by-product of the 1996 Peace Agreement between the Moro National

Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. This act has

among others, salient features that guarantees for the establishment of a mechanism that willmainstream Islamic education in Mindanao. Thus, the Department of Education is tasked with

disseminating the cultural integration programs by including Islamic values and basic Arabic

grammar into the curriculum in areas where Muslims students and pupils are a majority. This hasdriven the impetus for the berthing of a new policy towards Islamic education that is a tool that

serves as the response to the RA 9054.

The Education Act of 1982 (Batas Pambansa 232) recognizes the need to promote the

right of the cultural communities to relevant education to make them participate increasingly innational development. Sec. 3, para. 8 of the Act states that, the state shall promote the right of

the national cultural communities in the exercise of their right to develop themselves within thecontext of their cultures, customs, traditions, interests, beliefs and recognizes education as an

instrument for their maximum participation in national development and in ensuring their

involvement in achieving national unity. This provision serves as a legal basis for the

integration of the madrasah into the Philippine educational system to involve the FilipinoMuslims increasingly in the concerted effort to attain the national development goals (Samin,

1999).

The Philippines, like Malaysia, southern Thailand and China has a meager percentage of

its citizens who adheres to the tenets of Islamic tradition and religion. To date, there are only

around 5 % of Filipino Muslims of the total 91,077,287 population based on the July 2007

estimate on population (Central Intelligence Agency, 2007) which means there are only around4.5 Million Muslim Filipinos. Of these young people in Mindanao, an estimated 92,000 are

enrolled in some 1,100 madaris, or Muslim community schools, where the curriculum focuses

exclusively on the study of the Quran, related Islamic subjects, and the Arabic language (Linga,2004). Considering the numbers of young Muslim Filipinos who are in the madaris, more are not

studying in Islamic schools apparently because they are not inclined to. Most of those who are

not studying in the madaris are found in the drug trade or in illicit activities. Filipino Muslimsdiffered in their level of religiosity, and it is believed that there are those who are highly

Islamized and professionally know the tenets of Islam, but some only have the rudiments of

Islamization (Samin, 1999). Since 1990s Filipino Muslims remained outside the mainstream of

national life, set apart by their religion and way of life and now, education.

The Muslims in the Philippines consist of thirteen ethno-linguistic groups: Iranun,

Magindanao, Maranao, Tao-Sug, Sama, Yakan, Jama Mapun, Kaagan, Kalibugan, Sangil,

Molbog, Palawani and Badjao. There are other Muslims among other indigenous peoples ofMindanao like the Teduray, Manobo, Bla-an, Higaonon, Subanen, Tboli, and others. In recentyears, significant number of people from Luzon and Visayas and migrant communities in

7/31/2019 27-e08

5/15

Mindanao converted to Islam (Linga, 2004). However, even with this thirteen ethno-linguistic

groups, there is no definite area in Mindanao that the Filipino Muslims claimed to be a solidmajority save for a very few established Muslim communities in Maguidanao and the provinces

of Lanao. It is because until today, majority of the Filipino Muslims are widely dispersed all

across the country and no definite area where they can make their presence felt exclusively.

Making matters worse, many Filipino Muslims are clannish by nature. This is true among theTausugs, Maguindanaos and the Maranaos. Many among them are successful in politics,

medicine, military, academe and fisheries or agriculture but both ethno-linguistic tribes are wary

of each others successes. They despised the members of other groups and family feuds (rido)ensued as a result of this behavior.

In the context of Islamization in the Philippines, the madrasah plays a vital instrument.

Madrasah is a Muslim school that teaches Arabic and Islamic studies, especially Quranicreading and Arabic language. It is looked up to not only as an institution of learning but also a

symbol of Islam. It is regarded as a proper place to acquire knowledge in Arabic language and

Islamic religious teachings (Rodriguez, 1993).

This desire of the Muslim leaders around the country is the driving force behind the

issuance of Department of Education order 51 series of 2004 by former secretary Edilberto De

Jesus in which it states that for the Muslims of Mindanao and other parts of the country, therightful and legitimate aspiration is to have an Islamic education that is authentic and appropriate

for the Bangsa Moro population. They aim to establish Islamic schools that would prepare

generations of learned and intellectual Muslims imbued with Islamic values and spirituallyprepared to serve the people and the country as a whole (Department Orders, 2004). This was

also announced by the president on February 22, 2002 after considering that madrasah education

in the Philippines will help lessen the radicalism among Muslims around the country (PressRelease, 2002). As part of the implementation of the mainstreaming of madrasah education in the

country, Department of Education issued Department Order 46 Series of 2005 which governs the

implementation of the enriched curricula for private madaris and public schools in Muslim

communities. The said document also covers the hiring as well as training and the source ofsalaries for the hired Asatidz.

Prior to the issuance of Department of Education Order 51, the Office of the Presidentissued Executive Order 283 creating the Madrasah Development Coordinating Committee which

is being headed the Executive Director of the Office of Muslim Affairs and co-chaired by the

Presidential Assistant for Education (Macapagal-Arroyo, Executive Orders, 2004). Among thefunctions of the committee is to identify possible source of and receive financial assistance for

madrasah development; to promulgate standard procedures for the judicious

management/use/distribution/disposition of these assistance opportunities; to endorse noteworthy

proposals for funding to relevant local/bilateral/multilateral institutions; to coordinate madrasah-related researches, studies and program/projects undertaken by government, or private

individuals/institutions; and to fast track and monitor the implementation of government

education programs in Mindanao vis--vis the Comprehensive Mindanao Education Program

and/or the Edukasyon para sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa Mindanao Program.

7/31/2019 27-e08

6/15

Executive Order 283 is being repealed by Executive Order 368 on October 05, 2004

which transfers the functions of the Madrasah Development Coordinating Committee to theDepartment of Education purportedly due to economic austerity measures that the government is

promoting throughout the country (Macapagal-Arroyo, Executive Orders, 2004). From then on,

Department of Education has taken the lead in determination of the incorporation of the

Madrasah education into the national educational system. What is trivial yet very muchimportant in the transfer to the DepEd of the functions of Madrasah Development Coordinating

Committee is the seeming detachment of the previous heads of the committee. Under the

Department of Education Order 51, the designing and planning as well as visioning functions forthe madrasah education rest exclusively with the top honchos of the Department of Education

discarding the previous role of the Executive Director of the Office of Muslim Affairs. However,

President Arroyo announced in Malacanang that her administration will ensure that theMadrasah education will become a part of the countrys national education system" (Press

Release, 2002).

The need for the presence of the Office of the Muslim Affairs in the committee drafting

initial plans for the madrasah education in the country is overrated primarily because it wieldsconsiderable influence or clout over several Ulamas and Imams or Asatidz who are privately

running madrasahs around the country. The Department of Education is obviously handicappedby the provisions contained in its released order because it seemed to be out of touch. No

consultations done to ascertain the necessity of madrasah education among public schools.

Because of this, many Ulamas, ustadz and Islamic cleric are detaching themselves fromthe proposed mainstreaming of Islamic education and remain uncommitted to the goals specified

by the Department of Education Order 51. It became an issue for misinformation and

misunderstanding. It may be deduced that the DepEd Order 51 is a result of the many studiesmade in the area of Islamic education which has been in existence long ago in many Muslim

communities around the country.

According to (Samin, 1999), the madrasah system of education is believed to have startedin 1380 in Tubig-Indanan, about two centuries prior to the Spanish system of education in the

Philippines. Tubig-Indanan is a village in the Municipality of Simunul, Tawi-Tawi Province,

where the first mosque was believed to be established, however, this argument is opposed byseveral sectors of scholars like Pandapatan. He argued that it was claimed that the firstmadrasah started as a small household concern, termed maktab where a guru, usually a Muslim

leader, taught a small group of children (Pandapatan, 1986). Subsequently, this was replaced bya much organized pandita school by the turn of the century during the American occupation.

Samin believed that in the past, the mosque and the madrasah had functions rolled into one.

Filipino Moslems in the South, earlier Islamized in the 14th

century, learned Arabic to read the

Quran, and resisted Spanish colonization, including the use of new script (Socorro C. Espiritu,2000). However, after the Philippines got its independence in 1946 from the United States of

America and Mindanao and Sulu were made part of the new nation-state, links with the Muslimworld gradually shifted to the Middle East. This started with admission of students from

Mindanao to Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. The petrodollars provided scholarships tomany students studying in Middle East universities, who after finishing their studies came home

as paid missionaries of religious institutions, and established madaris and Quranic schools that

7/31/2019 27-e08

7/15

teach what they learned of Islam (Linga, 2004). Further, Lingga stressed that the curricula of

these madaris are usually patterned after the curricula of the institutions where the foundergraduated.

With this, the context of other interpretations of Islam is an imminent danger of being

overstated because curricula are based on the founders alma mater. A graduate of Al AzharUniversity in Cairo, Egypt may interpret Islam differently from the graduate of another

university in Tripoli, Libya, Damascus, Syria, Baghdad, Iraq, Kabul, Afghanistan or in

Islamabad, Pakistan. Their curricula may be espousing either moderate Islam or radicalinterpretations of what is believed to Islamic in both context and practice. In Mindanao, the

majority of these madaris serve poor communities where they may be the only schools available

for children and youth (Linga, 2004).

Madrasah education is a term referring to privately-owned but community-based school

that teaches Arabic and the teachings of Islam. Madrasah is used not in its literal Arabic meaning

but as a system of education with core emphasis on Arabic literacy, Islamic values and Islamic

religion (Boransing, 2004). It represents the opportunity that is otherwise absent in manygovernment-run public schools. Prior to the educational reform policy of the Arroyo

administration, madrasah education is not being considered as one of the hallmark of educationfor Filipino Muslims around the country, therefore, parents need to turn for help to local Imams

and community religious leaders for the proper Islamic schooling for their children to ensure

their untainted culture, traditions and identity in spite of the presence of western pop-culture that

is fast eating away at the perspectives of the young Filipino Muslims. The president even issuedExecutive Order 283 on February 17, 2004, creating the Madrasah Development Coordinating

Committee whose primary functions are to identify possible sources of and receive financial

assistance for madrasah development; to promulgate standard procedures for the judiciousmanagement/use/distribution/disposition of these assistance opportunities; to endorse noteworthy

proposals for funding to relevant local/bilateral/multilateral institutions; to coordinate madrasah-

related researches, studies and program/projects undertaken by government, or private

individuals/institutions; Fast track and monitor the implementation of government educationprograms in Mindanao vis--vis the Comprehensive Mindanao Education Program and/or the

edukasyon para sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa Mindanao Program. This order however was

amended by Executive Order 368 abolishing the said committee and transferring its functions tothe Department of Education.

In privately-run madaris which is not regulated and supervised by the Department ofEducation, education takes 16 years to finish with 11 months of study and learning for one

academic year. This are four (4) years in Ibtidai (primary), four (4) years in Idade (intermediate),

four (4) years in Thanawi (high school) and four (4) years Coliya (college) otherwise known as

the 4-4-4-4 educational system which is imported from most Islamic schools in Europe and theMiddle East. Accordingly, the opening and closing months of classes in this madaris are not

synchronized with the usual practice of the Department of Education. According to Babano,

Alvarez and Sangid in one of the training workshop modules of the Department of Education

that, the madaris vary widely in size and quality, from several dozen full-time learninginstitutions where the basic course of study up to secondary level takes 12 years, to many

7/31/2019 27-e08

8/15

hundreds of information schools where students are taught for a few hours on weekends in

makeshift classrooms.

As it is observed, the curriculum of the private madaris varies from operators or the

agency that governs its operations. As a matter of fact, curriculum is defined as a body of

subjects offered to finish a course of study (Calderon, 2004). He continued to opined thatcurriculum in elementary schools are the list of subjects to be taken and studied by pupils in a

given educational system. Because there is no standard curriculum for madaris Asatidz, every

pupil may be taught sufficiently in one area but is poorly educated in other areas. Comparably,other madrasah are performing better because they have better curriculum against other

privately-run madrasah. Curriculum design is very important in academic pursuits of every pupil

and student in a given institution of learning. It simplifies the rater complex methodologies thatare required for the school system. Modern educational trends nowadays establish greater

emphasis on curriculum supervision to make it more responsive to present times. An author cited

Cogan in her definition of curriculum supervision by which she construed that, general

supervision denotes activities like the writing and revisions of curriculums, the preparation of

units and materials of instructions, the development of processes and instruments for reporting toparents, and such broad concerns as evaluation of the total educational program. (Bago, 2005)

According to (Boransing, 2004), that there are two types of teachers needed for

mainstreaming of Madrasah education in the Philippines and they are teachers in Arabic

Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) in the public schools, and teachers in Islamic

Studies for private madaris as well as teachers in Secular Subjects (RBEC) such as English,Science, Mathematics, Filipino, Makabayan in Private Madaris. The professionalization of

Asatidz in the public schools through the Accelerated Teacher Education Program is also sought

under the so-called The Road Map for Upgrading Muslim Basic Education: A ComprehensiveProgram for the Educational Devleopment of Filipino Muslims which was crafted by DepEd

Undersecretary Menaros Boransing in 2004.

Further, the program components of the Road Map highlight the following:

Development and Institutionalization of Madrasah Education; Upgrading quality Secular Basic Education in the formal elementary and secondary

schools serving Muslim children;

Developing and Implementing an Alternative Learning system for Filipino MuslimsOut-of-School Youth (OSY);

Developing and Implementing Appropriate Livelihood Skills Education and Trainingfor Present-Day Students of private madaris and out of school youths;

Supporting Government efforts to provide quality early childhood care anddevelopment (ECCD) programs for Filipino Muslims pre-school children;

Creation of a Special Fund for Assistance to Muslim Education (FAME) by an Act ofCongress; and

Empowerment of the health and nutritional status of Filipino Muslim learnersparticularly in public elementary schools

In response to the road map, Senate Bill 2383 was filed by Senator Manuel Villar on June7, 2006 purposely to support the road map being prepared by the Department of Education under

the under the behest of the president who trumpeted that one of the keys to the future of

7/31/2019 27-e08

9/15

Mindanao, especially among the youths, is their education (Senate Bills, 2007). The salient

feature of Senate Bill 2383 is the establishment of the permanent trust fund to be known as theFund for Madrasah Education (FAME) and proposed that the amount of Php 100 Million be

appropriated as a seed capital for the trust fund. In addition to this, it is believed that Php 500

Million is needed for ensuring that quality madrasah education is being mainstreamed among

public schools under the Department of Education (Esplanada, 2007). With this however, thebeneficiary of this road map are those who are willing to be mainstreamed into the Philippine

educational system. Privately-run madaris and madrasah run by the community who refuses

government regulation and monitoring loses the chance for development under this road map.

It is believed that the road map will undeniably strengthens the desire of the government

to adequately respond to the educational needs of its citizens, whether Christians or Muslimshowever, the gray area that merits contention among madaris operators lies in the fact that for so

long as they refuse government recognition and standards as well as monitoring, they will not be

able to mainstream their education and students who graduate from their institutions are barred

from entering either the Department of Education or the Commission on Higher Education. The

loophole of the Department of Education Order 51 is its seeming competition with the existingand long-entrenched madaris in most of the Muslim areas of the country with its own version of

madrasah education in many public schools. While cognizant of the dichotomy that is inherentin the education of Filipino Muslims, the Department of Education has failed to address the basic

question, what else is there for the Filipino Muslims to learn outside the purview of secular

education when almost all of the students in a private madaris are at one time or most of the time,

students under the secular education handled by the Department of Education. They have notharnessed the complimentary benefit of having to strengthen madaris in the community level and

the secular classes in the DepEd, instead they espoused students to either transfer from madaris

to DepEd or DepEd to Madaris.

Back in 1999, Prof. Lolita Rodriguez proposed the curriculum for the madrasah which

she called Madrasah Reconciliatory Curriculum (MRC). She formulated the correct curriculum

called the MRC to correct deficiencies of the extant madrasah curriculum to meet one of therequirements for granting of government permit to operate as an institution of learning in the

Philippines. Her focus however was on the elementary madrasah education and the thanawi

madrasah education. The ibtidai madrasah education to be more effective as an integralcomponent of Philippine educational system, shall aim to develop the spiritual, moral, mental,

and physical capabilities of a child, provide him with experience in a democratic way of life and

inculcate ideas and attitudes necessary for an enlightened, patriotic, upright and useful citizen notonly in a Muslim community but more importantly, of the entire country (Samin, 1999).

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:

Majority of the Asatidz being studied revealed that they are educated in the Middle East

as opposed to those educated within the Philippines. This is understandable because in the

Philippines, there are no Madrasah that offers Islamic degree programs other than the ones beingoffered in the University of the Philippines and the Mindanao State University, but all these

baccalaureate and graduate programs requires qualifications that can only be obtained in secular

7/31/2019 27-e08

10/15

education being offered by most public and private schools recognized and accredited by the

Department of Education. These programs require equivalency and transfer credentials that areblatantly absent among madaris because majority of the Madaris operating in the Philippines are

not recognized and accredited by the Department of Education. Graduates of these madaris often

enroll in foreign Islamic universities because they can not be admitted to any university or

college within the Philippines using their diploma and transcript of records from their madrasahand much more, the curriculum being offered in these madaris are not recognized by the

Department of Education. A grade, say in one Arabic subject that focuses arithmetic does not

earn for the student the same creditable grade in elementary math in most public schools. Thisexplains why parents of pupils enroll their children in many public schools from Monday to

Friday and at the same time, enroll them to a madrasah from Saturday to Sunday. However, in

terms of hiring qualifications, the Department of Education consistently express it supporttowards graduates of foreign colleges and universities when they apply for a teaching job in most

private madaris which are accredited by DepEd as stipulated in Department Order 46 series of

2005.

Although these madaris are not recognized and accredited by the Department ofEducation, most of these desire government accreditation under the Department of Education of

the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The study revealed that 71% of therespondents wish to be accredited by the Department of Education and are working for their

accreditation like school site preparation and development, curriculum review and evaluation,

conducting trainings for Asatidz in cooperation with the Department of Education and

ultimately, starts to improve enrolment. These results has been positively identified by theDepEd in which recently, with the issuance of Department Order 81 series of 2007, the

Department of Education admitted publicly that there are fifty (50) pilot private madaris that

have acquired permit to operate the standard curriculum including those being assisted byBEAM-AUSAid and EQaLLS-USAID. Admittedly, the department has courageously embarked

on social marketing activities to fully mainstream madrasah education in the Philippine public

basic education sector.

Majority of the respondents revealed that the basis for opening a madrasah school in their

community is through the initiative or leadership as well as sponsorship of the local Religious

Islamic Association. These associations have linkages with foreign donors who easily donatefunds for the establishment of madaris in their communities. In most cases too, the madaris are

actually run and operated by these associations themselves. Only very few revealed that the basis

for the opening of madrasah is in consonance or in compliance with the Department of EducationOrder 51 S of 2004. The source of authority for the operations of these madaris are from the

Head Asatidz who usually are appointed by the officers of the Religious Islamic Association

primarily in recognition of their brilliance, leadership potentials and religious wisdom as

evidenced in their educational attainment from prestigious universities in the Middle East.

In the Philippines, since madrasah education is community-based, physical plant facilities

are also limited. Usually, a madrasah occupies 2.5 hectare donated property and constructed a

one of two 15-classroom facility with ample amenities to better facilitate instruction andlearning. Learning environment is enhanced by way of traditional instructional medium and not

as much madrasah invests on new educational technologies that foster improved learning

7/31/2019 27-e08

11/15

outcomes primarily because in most cases, madrasah lack funds for these investments. A

madrasah in the Philippines typically has a mosque inside its premises and in respect to thePhilippine Government, has one flag pole that flies the Philippine flag during classes. The

presence of the mosque inside the premises of the madrasah best explains the nature by which

these institutions are serving the community, primarily to provide Islamic education and Arabic

language education to the young Muslims in the community.

As to instructional materials in these madaris, reading books and the Holy Quran are

supplied to pupils and students. These are written in Arabic and seldom can anybody find an

instructional material or Quran with English or Filipino translation except with the books

handed down by Department of Education which has English instructions on them. This pointed

to the generally Islamic approaches in class in the madaris. In its operations, the primaryconsideration for the madaris is to provide Islamic education to the youths as well as enhancing

their learning and understanding of Islamic values and traditions. In most of these madaris,

although they wanted to teach English or Filipino as an added skill to their pupil and students,

but the most pressing concern and paramount considerations are on the Islamic teachings that

enhances Filipino Islamic identity and the preservation of Islamic values that are fast becomingthreatened by cultural invasion and globalization. True to all educational settings, medium of

instruction inside the madaris classroom plays a vital role in academic life. In most cases,Asatidz use Arabic as a sole medium of instruction in all their classes. To clarify language issues

and gaps, sometimes a combination of Arabic-Vernacular is widely used in the classroom. This

is especially true in consideration of the poor facility of most Muslim youths with English as a

medium of instruction and apart from it, most of its books, pamphlets as well as the Quran iswritten in Arabic which requires that the reader and the ones listening to should have proficient

facility of the language.

Madaris in the Philippines usually offers basic education and not much madrasah are

offering college level education. In Mindanao, there are only a handful of madrasah that offers

college level programs and these are Bangsamoro Islamic Institute in Sta. Barbara, Zamboanga

City; HMIJ Philippine Islamic Institute in Baliwasan, Zamboanga City; Association of IslamicDevelopment in Pagadian City; Sultan Kudarat Islamic Foundation Cad Academy in Bulao,

Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao Province; Maahad Kutanato College in Cotabato City; Jamiatul

Philippine al Islamic in Marawi City and the Jamiatu Muslim Mindanao in Saduc, Marawi City.These tertiary-level madaris were subjected to a study commissioned by the Commission on

Higher Education entitled, A Study on the Madaris Education System and How it can be

integrated into the Mainstream Higher Education System. The research team was headed by Dr.Sahajim Hassan of the Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College.

In terms of the operational budget for the madaris, mostly, they claimed that they

received donations and grants from Religious Islamic Associations that help them establishedthe school. These responses supported the previous assertions of the respondents that the opening

of their madrasah is due to the support of the Religious Islamic Associations that have linkages

and relationships with Islamic foundations in the Middle East. These foundations easily give

away donations in petro-dollars for purposes of educating Filipino Muslims according to theIslamic tenets and to preserve Islamic identity. The same is very relevant in which most of the

madaris claimed through the respondents that their operations are basically dependent on

7/31/2019 27-e08

12/15

donations from other generous patrons and benefactors. The income of the madrasah goes to

divergent priorities however majority of the respondents said that the income of the school goes

to Islamic missionaries serving in the community and elsewhere. Since the very foundation ofthe madrasah was created by Religious Islamic Association in the community, it is incumbent

upon the operators of these madaris to support Islamic missionaries to proselyte about Islam.

Parents of pupils and students in these madaris commented that they are highly satisfied

by the education provided by these madaris. Majority of the respondents commented that their

pupils and students are now more inclined towards sustaining Islamic identity. This is anobvious logical choice among the respondents considering that the Islamic identity among

Filipino Muslims has slowly been eroded due to the commercialization of cultures. More foreign

cultures are coming in and have influence the ways of life of our Filipino Muslim youths acrossthe country. If the pupils and students are enrolled in the madrasah, they claimed that Islamic

education to be gained from the madaris are providing for the avenues to reclaim the lost cultural

heritage of ever Filipino Muslim. Most of the respondents said that enrolling at the madaris

makes every Filipino Muslim a responsible citizen in the community. It is believed that pupils

and students of madrasah fare better in terms of attitudes and behavior compared to theircontemporaries in the public schools. A good number of the respondents stressed that their pupils

and students are now more adept with Islam. Being a student in a madaris entails that the studentbecomes more familiar with the Islamic beliefs and traditions that has been there for centuries.

They are becoming more aware of their kind of Islam in the community- one that espouses

moderate Islam and which encourages religious tolerance among peoples of different faiths.

Madrasah so far, plays the role of the educator of young Filipino Muslims as well asprovider of Islamic values and religious practices. It is believed among the respondents that the

operationalization of the madrasah has been beneficial to the community because it molds youngMuslims to become educated with Islamic education and values as well as preserve the inherent

rich and dynamic cultural heritage of the Muslim people in Mindanao. And madrasah are also

fast becoming a preparatory and training school for future Islamic missionaries and Islamic

scholars in the community coming from the younger generation.

Just recently, the Philippine Department of Education released Department Order 81 S of

2007 which provide for the mechanism to assist private madaris in the Philippines and providingfor the incentives in relation to its adherence to the original Department Order 51 S of 2004. This

document has been issued by DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus on December 19, 2007. The stipulated

assistance incidentally is also the kind of assistance genuinely represented in this study as desiredby the respondents.

CONCLUSION:

The Islamicisation of the Philippine Public Education Sector has long begun when the

first Madrasah started educating the early Filipino Muslims and in the aspect of mainstreaming

Madrasah education, they have already been in existence in the community however, theircontribution has not been maximally recognized primarily because for years now, these madaris

operates without the regulation and without supervision from the Department of Education.

7/31/2019 27-e08

13/15

What DepEd Order 51 S of 2004 envisions has already been in place in most cities andprovinces in Muslim Mindanao and these madaris, unfortunately, were not properly enjoined to

partake in the national educational thrusts and programs of the Philippine government. Similarly,

even in tertiary-level madaris, there are still areas for collaborative and cooperative endeavor that

enhances the role of education in the lives of ordinary Filipino Muslims that after havinggraduated from their madrasah, they can easily find work in the employment and labor sectors,

they can actively participate in educational policymaking and most importantly, their

contributions are recognized.

With determined and coordinated efforts of the key personnel in the Department of

Education under the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, mainstreaming ofmadrasah education is possible and doable. With the subsequent issuances of the Department

orders 46 series of 2005, Department Memorandum 250 series of 2007 and ultimately, the

Department Order 81 series of 2007, the full mainstreaming is underway which is beneficial to

the Filipino Muslim pupils and students in Mindanao and elsewhere in the Philippines.

RECOMMENDATION:

Since most of the madaris in the Philippines are offering basic education and since the

proposed mainstreaming is geared towards the institutionalization of madrasah education as part

of the public education sector, it will be best to support existing madaris and give incentives likescholarships, curriculum design and re-engineering, instructional supervision and school site

improvement programs rather than implement a very diverse madrasah program under the public

education sector. DepEd Order 81 S of 2007 explicitly espouses assistance in the form ofsourcing financial assistance from countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) for

the following: upgrading of existing facilities of private madaris; capability building as well as

the assistance in augmenting to the private madariss recurrent cost of operations. At the onset,

although these madaris are religious by nature and its operations are purely Islamic, thePhilippine government secularizes instruction by training more Asatidz in privately-run madaris

in order to improve academic instruction, provide a stable and secure employment opportunities

within the Department of Education for talented and skillful Asatidz who are teaching inprivately- run madaris.

To institutionalize Islamic education as an active partner of long term sustainabledevelopment of the Filipino human capital, legislative act of the Philippine Congress is needed to

effect the strengthening of madrasah education that promotes respect for human diversity,

religious tolerance, peace and stability in Mindanao. Education, as it is wisely ascribed by

education pundits, ushers peace and envelopes fear and intimidation because the more educated aperson is, the more inclined he will be towards sustaining the hope he has seen after years of war

and distress. The Philippine House of Representative and the Senate of the Philippines need to

legislate laws that support the strengthening of existing madaris and provide government funds

for the effective administration of these madaris.

7/31/2019 27-e08

14/15

The International community through international Islamic universities and stakeholders

in education needs to support the Department of Education to better serve the interests of youngFilipino Muslims through the strengthening of existing madaris and regulate its operations for a

more proactive administration of education. These thrusts have been one of the hallmarks of the

1996 Peace Agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National

Liberation Front and hopefully, become the driving force in the on-going GRP-MILF PeaceNegotiations being favorably hosted by Malaysia.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

I gratefully acknowledged the assistance extended by Ms. Mila Amerol-Samin forproviding guidance and the translations of the questionnaires into Arabic. I thanked the students

of the PhD Program in Educational Management and faculty of the Graduate School of the La

Salle University, headed by Dr. Maria Nancy Cadusales as well as Br. Narciso Erquiza, FSC,

President, La Salle University, for their support and inspiration. Atty. Tony Cerilles has been a

stable and faithful benefactor and a believer of education that benefits the poor communities ofZamboanga del Sur. Also, Ms. Michelle Beracis-Cagape for the support and understanding.

REFERENCES

Bago, A. L. (2005). Supervision of Instruction The Philippine Perspective. Manila: De La Sale University

Press, Inc.

Boransing, M. (2004). Development and Instritutionalization of Madrasah Education as a Component of

the Philippine National System of Education. Cabinet Cluster Meeting (p. 9). Manila: Department of

Education.

Calderon, J. F. (2004). Curriculum and Curriculum Development. Manila: Educational Publishing House.

Central Intelligence Agency. (2007, July 1). Retrieved August 3, 2007, from CIA: http://cia.gov

cotabato. (2007, February 22). Retrieved July 6, 2007, from http://www.cotabato.com.

Department Orders. (2004, September 23). Retrieved August 17, 2007, from Department of Education:

http://www.deped.gov.ph

Esplanada, J. E. (2007, July 1). P500M fund needed for quality Muslim education. Philippine DailyInquirer, p. 10.

Leon, H. S. (1987). Textbook on the new Philippine Constitution. Manila: Rex Book Store.

Linga, A. S. (2004). Muslim Minority in the Philippines. SEACSN Conference 2004, (p. 14). Penang.

7/31/2019 27-e08

15/15

Macapagal-Arroyo, G. (2004, February 18). Executive Orders. Retrieved August 12, 2007, from Office of

the President : http://op.gov.ph

Macapagal-Arroyo, G. (2004, October 6). Executive Orders. Retrieved August 12, 2007, from Office of the

President: http://www.gov.ph

Macapagal-Arroyo, G. (2002, February 12). Press Release. Retrieved July 5, 2007, from Office of the

President : http://www.op.gov.ph

Pandapatan, A.-T. M. (1986). Madrasah System of Education in the Philippines. In L. Q. Moner,

Madrasah Education in the Philippines and its Role in National Integration (p. 336). Iligan City: MSU-IIT.

Press Release. (2002, March 12). Retrieved August 18, 2007, from Office of the President :

http://www.gov.ph

Press Release. (2002, March 14). Retrieved August 7, 2007, from Office of the President :

http://www.gov.ph

Rabasio, F. (1979, March). The Muslim Madrasa of Zamboanga del Sur; their philosophy, adminitration

and Curriculum 1974-1978. Dissertation . Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines: University of the Visayas.

Rodriguez, L. (1993, September 17). A Madrasah General Education Program for Muslim Mindanao.

Unpublished Thesis . Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines: Mindanao State University.

Samin, M. E. (1999, October 21). The Jum-ia Tanmia Al-Islamia: Its Role in he Socio-Islamic Development

in the Muslim South. Unpublished Thesis . Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines : Mindanao State

University.

Senate Bills. (2007, June 6). Retrieved July 10, 2007, from Senate of the Philippines :

http://senate.gov.ph

Socorro C. Espiritu, P. (2000). Philippine Educational System. Quezon City: Katha Publishing Co., Inc.