Islamicisation of the Philippine Public Basic Education Sector: Mainstreaming Madrasah Education Wendell Glenn P.

Cagape PhD Student in Educational Management La Salle University, Burgos Street, Ozamis City, Republic of the Philippines cagapewendell_gl@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT In order to mainstream Islamic education in the Philippine educational sector, the Philippine government through the Department of Education, issued Department Order 51 in 2004 to purposely integrate Arabic language and Islamic Values (ALIVE) in many public schools within the country. Since 2004, many public schools are offering Arabic language and Islamic values after conducting a comprehensive mapping of public schools with substantial number of Muslim students. This policy is in consonance with the national objectives to provide quality, accessibility and affordability of Islamic education in the public sector considering that for sometime, many Madaris are operating in the country without government regulation and monitoring. This paper aims to undertake constructive critiquing of the Department Order 51 in view of the operations of private madaris and mainstreaming Arabic language and Islamic values in many public schools. As the Department Order is implemented since 2004, many public school teachers are trained and equipped to be able to teach Arabic language education in their classrooms. Many Arabic teachers who passed the Licensure Examinations for Teachers have begun working with the Department of Education and the formal educational sector. However, there are policy gaps that have to be fully addressed to make positive impact on both the desire of the state to integrate Islamic education and the expectations of many Muslim students. Since 2004, mainstreaming of Islamic Values and Arabic Language needs to be fully implemented in the true spirit of the Order and necessitates a legislative action to make it workable in all stages of the public educational sector. INTRODUCTION: Since 9/11, the Philippines has dramatically addressed the vital needs of Filipino Muslims to purposely assuage their growing vulnerability on the seeming radicalism that is sweeping Southeast Asia. One of the vital areas of development geared towards mainstreaming the human capital investment in Filipino Muslims is the intent of the Philippine government to focus its attention and perhaps, resources on the provision of basic education in Mindanao that 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 the Department

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 promulgated and 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. The researcher 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 overall educational 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 (MacapagalArroyo, 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 that ensures 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 the Department 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 which addresses the need for the integration of madrasah education in the national education policy however much needs to be done. Madaris and Islamic Education needs 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 madrasah and asatidz. 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 open to support the governments thrusts to mainstream Islamic education via the Department of Education 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 the Middle 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 formal educational sectors. With the Department of Education Order 51, it seems that the public schools are the ones ready 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 measurement and 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 of Islamic 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). This highlights the ever increasing inclination of the Arroyo Administration to better serve the educational needs of the Filipino Muslims. METHODOLIGAL APPROACHES: The research uses qualitative approach to ascertain the facts contained herein. The researcher conducted informal interviews Head Asatidz, distributes questionnaires as well as conducted 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 Cerilles State 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 needed an educational system that truly 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 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 and religion 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 Muslim Mindanao 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 will mainstream 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 has driven 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 in national 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 the context 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 Filipino Muslims 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 around 4.5 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 Muslims differed 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 of Mindanao like the Teduray, Manobo, Bla-an, Higaonon, Subanen, Tboli, and others. In recent years, significant number of people from Luzon and Visayas and migrant communities in Mindanao converted to Islam (Linga, 2004). However, even with this thirteen ethno-linguistic groups, there is no definite are in Mindanao that the Filipino Muslims claimed to be a solid majority 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 the Tausugs, 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 Quranic reading 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, the rightful 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 spiritually prepared 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 (Press Release, 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 of salaries for the hired Asatidz. Prior to the issuance of Department of Education Order 51, the Office of the President issued 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 the functions 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 madrasahrelated 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. 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 the Department 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 much important 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 for the 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 the Madrasah 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 wields considerable influence or clout over several Ulamas and Imams or Asatidz who are privately running madrasahs around the country. The Department of Education is obviously handicapped by 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 from the 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 studies made 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 started in 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 by several sectors of scholars like Pandapatan. He argued that it was claimed that the first madrasah 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 by a 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 Muslim world 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 to many 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 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 founder graduated. 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 Azhar University 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 radical interpretations 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 many government-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 education for 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 issued Executive 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 judicious management/use/distribution/disposition of these assistance opportunities; to endorse noteworthy proposals for funding to relevant local/bilateral/multilateral institutions; to coordinate madrasahrelated researches, studies and program/projects undertaken by government, or private individuals/institutions; 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. This order however was amended by Executive Order 368 abolishing the said committee and transferring its functions to the Department of Education. In privately-run madaris which is not regulated and supervised by the Department of Education, 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 the Middle 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 learning institutions where the basic course of study up to secondary level takes 12 years, to many 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 that curriculum 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 that are 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 to parents, 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 Comprehensive Program 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 Muslims Out-of-School Youth (OSY); Developing and Implementing Appropriate Livelihood Skills Education and Training for Present-Day Students of private madaris and out of school youths; Supporting Government efforts to provide quality early childhood care and development (ECCD) programs for Filipino Muslims pre-school children; Creation of a Special Fund for Assistance to Muslim Education (FAME) by an Act of Congress; and Empowerment of the health and nutritional status of Filipino Muslim learners particularly in public elementary schools

In response to the road map, Senate Bill 2383 was filed by Senator Manuel Villar on June 7, 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 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 the Fund 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, the beneficiary 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 Muslims however, 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 enteringeither 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 existing and 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 inherent in 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 not harnessed 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 the requirements 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 integral component 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 not only 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 being offered 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 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 are blatantly 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 madrasah and 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. This explains 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 support towards 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 of Education, 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 the respondents 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 the DepEd 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 by BEAM-AUSAid and EQaLLSUSAID. 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 donate funds 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 Education Order 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 and learning. Learning environment is enhanced by way of traditional instructional medium and not as much madrasah invests on new educational technologies that foster improved learning 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 the Philippine 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 is 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 primary consideration 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 becoming threatened 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 is written 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 Islamic Development 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 established the 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 the Islamic 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 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 of the 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 high 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 an obvious 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 across the 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 their contemporaries 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 student becomes 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 as provider 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 young Muslims 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 providing for 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 desired by 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, their contribution has not been maximally recognized primarily because for years now, these madaris operates without the regulation and without supervision from the Department of Education. What DepEd Order 51 S of 2004 envisions has already been in place in most cities and provinces 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 having graduated 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 of madrasah 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 like scholarships, 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 of sourcing of 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, the Philippine 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 in privately- run madaris. To institutionalize Islamic education as an active partner of long term sustainable development 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 a person 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 needs to legislate laws that support the strengthening of existing madaris and provide government funds for the effective administration of these madaris. The International community through international Islamic universities and stakeholders in education needs to support the Department of Education to better serve the interests of young Filipino 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 Peace Negotiations being favorably hosted by Malaysia. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I gratefully acknowledged the assistance extended by Ms. Mila Amerol-Samin for providing 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 of Zamboanga del Sur. Also, Ms. Michelle Beracis-Cagape for the support and understanding. REFERENCES
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