THE Department of Education is boosting funding for schools offering the Madrasah education program (MEP) to provide learners with “culturally appropriate and Islamic-friendly” education through the integration of the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) with the K to 12 curriculum.
“To ensure the effective, efficient and continuous implementation of the MEP by addressing the diverse educational needs of ALIVE learners, DepEd shall increase the MEP Program Support Funds released to the regional offices and schools division offices to be utilized for the eligible expenses,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a two-page order dated August 6.
Under the order, all public elementary and secondary schools offering ALIVE classes with at least 10 learners per class will receive a monthly program support fund of P12,500 from P7,000 contained in DepEd Order No. 25 issued in 2021.
Angara said the allocation of program support funds per region “shall vary depending on the number of implementing schools division offices and the total number of enrollment of Muslim learners in ALIVE classes.”
The majority of schools offering the MEP are located in Mindanao, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
