BASILAN Rep. Mujiv Hataman has filed a bill seeking to mandate the inclusion of Arabic language or Islamic values education in the Philippine basic education system to make it more responsive to the diversity of the learning needs of students.
In House Bill No. 7130, or the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) Act, Hataman seeks to institutionalize the Department of Education’s current program of the same name, which has been saddled by challenges of implementation and funding.
“We need to recognize that our diverse cultural and religious backgrounds require a more responsive educational approach, and the ALIVE bill is one way of addressing that for Muslim students to ensure their full participation and the realization of their potential,” said Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
HB 7130 said that while Filipino Muslims are part of the Philippine education system, both public and private, “many do not have access to education according to their cultural, traditional, social and religious beliefs, especially for those outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“And as a part of the Filipino population whose numbers range anywhere from over 6 million to as high as 12 million, depending on the source of data, it is imperative that we incorporate Islamic education in all private and public schools, especially in cities and municipalities that have no accessible madrasahs for Muslim students,” it said.
“This bill, therefore, seeks to mandate the institutionalization and the strengthening of the existing ALIVE Program of DepEd in all public and private basic education schools outside BARMM,” the bill added.
The teaching of Arabic language and Islamic values education both to Muslim and non-Muslim students shall be optional or at the behest of the parents, whose approval is required in writing.
To ensure effective, efficient, and smooth management of the ALIVE Programs, the bill seeks to create an Office on Madrasah Education (OME) in the DepEd to be headed by the Undersecretary for Madaris, which “shall coordinate with the relevant stakeholders for the proper implementation of the Madaris programs.”
It also provides for the integration of the program into the tertiary levels of education.
“The DepEd, in collaboration with the NCMF, CHED, and TESDA, shall establish programs to ensure the integration of the teaching of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language with higher and technical-vocational education system towards continuity of learning and creation of opportunity for basic education graduates in the country to harness their potential, pursue higher education, or seek employment,” the measure said.
