ARMM conducts ‘Lakbay Edukasyon’ for school and barangay officials

Cotabato City (April 21, 2016) – Teachers, school heads and barangay captains in five municipalities in the provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi visited Maribulan Elementary School, one of top performing schools in Sarangani province, for a study tour dubbed ‘Lakbay Edukasyon’ on Thursday, April 21.

This year’s study tour delegation comprises 160 teachers and school heads and 40 barangay captains from the towns of Simunul, Sitangkai, and Bongao in Tawi-Tawi as well as from the towns of Indanan and Patikul in Sulu.

Alfhadar Pajiji, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Education department (DepEd-ARMM) assistant secretary for special projects, said this is the first batch of Lakbay Edukasyon study tour this year.

He described the study tour as an educational trip that provides opportunities for exposure visits and learning the host school’s best practices, specifically programs, projects and interventions the participants could replicate in their own areas.

Maribulan Elementary School is implementing best practices within its system among public schools in Region 12, or Central Mindanao.

After the study tour in Sarangani, the participants will proceed to ACES Natural Farming Institute in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. The Panabo City tour is aimed at educating the participants on the importance of organic farming as well as exploring the possibility of applying such farming techniques in their respective communities.

“This is the first time we experienced this kind of program and after the study tour, we will surely adopt what we learned in our locality,” said Hja. Darwisa Kadil Sakiran, barangay captain of Barangay Tagbak in Indanan, Sulu.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said the program will help improve the quality education in the region. “We want all the school divisions and barangay captains in the different provinces in the ARMM to experience this program because this will help them a lot,” Gov. Hataman said.

In 2015, DepEd-ARMM also conducted a similar study tour involving district supervisors, school heads and barangay captains in the province of Basilan.

The second batch of this year’s Lakbay Edukasyon, which will have officials of other barangays and school divisions in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu as participants, is scheduled on April 25-28. (Bureau of Public Information)

Source: BPI-ARMM

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ARMM ready for the implementation of senior high school program

Cotabato City (June 17, 2016) – The Education department in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) is now ready for the implementation of the senior high school program, the centerpiece of the new K to 12 basic education system.

Out of 304 public secondary schools in the region, the DepEd-ARMM has already identified a total of 156 that offer senior high school program. The region is expecting around 35,000 Grade 11 students this school year, the pioneering batch of senior high school students.

This year’s program covers the last two years of the K to 12 and includes Grades 11 and 12. In senior high school, students will go through a core curriculum and subjects under a track of their choice.

It will allow students to choose from specific tracks namely: academic, technical-vocational-livelihood, arts and design, and sports. These tracks will prepare future graduates should they decide to pursue higher education (college), seek immediate employment, or become entrepreneurs.

Marjuni Maddi, DepEd-ARMM’s assistant secretary for academics, admitted there are still problems in the implementation of the program such as lack of teachers as well as classrooms that are still under construction.

“Yes, we still have problems but we are doing our best to accommodate the students and we assure them (we would) fix these problems as soon as we can,” Asec Maddi said. “On June 13, the first day of school, we actually visited schools to see the students’ situation,” he added.

Asec. Maddi said the department will fill up 933 senior high school teaching positions this year.

The expected salaries of senior high school teachers will range from P19,940 to P39,493 monthly. Applicants will be ranked according to DepEd’s criteria for evaluation and selection process.

Early this year, the ARMM’s Public Works and Highways department started constructing 819 classrooms for senior high school. “Ang mga classrooms na ipapatayo ay para sa full implementation ng K to 12 program sa ARMM (The classrooms to be constructed are for the full implementation of K to 12 program in ARMM),” DepEd-ARMM Secretary Dr. John Magno said.

The projects are worth more than P1 billion from DepEd-ARMM’s 2015 Basic Education Facilities Fund. The Division of Maguindanao I will receive the largest number of projects with 165 classrooms worth more than P158 million.

Among the schools in the province where senior high school classrooms would be built is the Guindulungan National High School in the town of Guindulungan. Two one-storey structures with three classrooms each with a total cost of P5.3 million will be built in the school. (Bureau of Public Information)

Source: BPI-ARMM

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DepEd-ARMM highlights handwashing habit formation on global celebration day

Cotabato City (October 13, 2016) – The Department of Education of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) highlighted the importance of developing the habit of handwashing with soap during the Global Handwashing Day observed on Wednesday, October 12.

Dr. John Magno, DepEd-ARMM secretary, said the Education department is committed in ensuring that “every child in the region develops healthy habits that start with simple steps like daily handwashing with soap.”

The DepEd-ARMM, together with the Australian embassy’s Basic Education Assistance to Muslim Mindanao (BEAM)-ARMM program, marked the 5th Global Handwashing Day at Timanan Central Elementary School in South Upi, Maguindanao.

“Handwashing with soap is the low-cost high-impact intervention that, when practiced properly and regularly, prevents infections and saves lives,” Sec. Magno noted.

The handwashing day bears the theme “Make handwashing a habit”, and was aimed at highlighting the importance of developing healthy habits that help prevent the occurrence of hygiene-related illnesses among children.

Official records show that nine percent of childhood deaths are caused by diarrheal diseases and almost half of these deaths could be prevented through handwashing with soap.

Since 2011, the ARMM government, specifically DepEd-ARMM, together with nongovernmental organizations, has been implementing Essential Health Care Program in 400 schools across the region. The initiative focuses on daily group handwashing with soap, daily group toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste, and bi-annual de-worming.

Ester Roxas of the Australian embassy underscored the importance of schools in forming healthy habits among schoolchildren. “The education system is central to habit formation and the school provides the perfect setting for this formation,” Roxas said.

The Australian embassy official commended the DepEd-ARMM, mentioning it has taken the lead in the Philippines to ensure that the children of ARMM have daily activities to develop healthy habits.

“With so many children practicing handwashing together each day, ARMM is setting an example to the rest of the country,” Roxas added.

The DepEd-ARMM has developed the Three Star Approach, wherein schools, with the participation of the community, are encouraged to improve their ‘WinS’ or water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools.

The WinS includes the implementation of daily group handwashing with soap, daily group toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste, and bi-annual de-worming.

Through the DepEd ARMM’s Three Star Approach’s WinS monitoring, school heads are taking the lead to ensure that all classrooms practice healthy habits.

A flag was raised at the Timanan Central Elementary School during the program to signify the school’s compliance with the Three Stars accreditation requirements. Timanan Central Elementary School, which is under the Maguindanao I Schools Division, was the first awardee of the WinS Three Stars in the ARMM.

The DepEd-ARMM is presently producing 1,000 group washing facilities to ensure that each school has the infrastructure needed to allow children to practice daily handwashing.

The region’s Education department covers nine schools divisions namely, Maguindanao I and II, Marawi City, Lanao Sur I and II, Lamitan City, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. As of the latest data, there are 2,150 public elementary schools, and 304 secondary schools in the ARMM. (Bureau of Public Information)

Photo Credit: Basic Education Assistance to Muslim Mindanao (BEAM)-ARMM

source: BPI-ARMM

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DepEd-ARMM kicks off Brigada Eskwela

Cotabato City (May 30, 2016) – Education Sec. Dr. John Magno of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) led today a series of cleanup activities in different public elementary and high schools in the coastal areas of Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao to mark the start of the annual weeklong school maintenance activity dubbed ‘Brigada Eskwela’.

Magno said that aside from the cleanup drive, this year’s ‘Brigada Eskwela’ will also give emphasis on school disaster-preparedness and readiness for the implementation of the K to 12 program.

He said they want to make sure that schools in the ARMM are safe and conducive to education.

The 2016 ‘Brigada Eskwela’ or National Schools Maintenance Week carries the theme “Tayo Para sa Paaralang Ligtas, Maayos, at Handa Mula Kindegarten Hanggang Senior High School” (All of us for safe and proper schools, and ready from Kindergarten to Senior High School) and aims to unite communities in ensuring a better future for Filipino children.

Magno said the region’s education officials and teachers are working with parents, barangay officials, students and other volunteers to clean and prepare schools in time for the opening of classes on June 13.

“We are happy and grateful for the annual ‘Brigada Eswela’ and the support that we get from the DepEd-ARMM,” said Tukan Mangulamas, a supply officer at the second schools division of Maguindanao.

The Australian Government-funded BEAM (Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao)-ARMM program has earmarked P8.9 million this year for minor repairs of classrooms in 225 public elementary and high schools as well as the provision of chairs and tables to 53 madaris (Islamic school).

The BEAM-ARMM will also provide curriculum guide, teacher’s guide and learning materials.

“The DepEd-ARMM and BEAM have helped us improve our schools and encourage children to attend classes,” Evelyn Kanain, Senior High Coordinator of the Schools Division of Sulu.

Kanain said the assistance from BEAM-ARMM will improve the quality of education in various schools not only in Sulu but in the entire region as well.

Disaster preparedness activities will be integrated in the education program of public schools to better prepare students in the events of typhoons, floods and other natural calamities.

Brigada Eskwela was started in 2003 and has three main objectives such as to practice shared governance; to bring the spirit of education to the community level and to utilize local resources to public schools. (Bureau of Public Information)

source: BPI-ARMM

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