Education summit kicks off in BARMM

COTABATO CITY: Education stakeholders and other members of the academe here convened on Saturday, November 19, kicking off a pre-education summit organized by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Led by Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), the event is designed specifically for education stakeholders in Cotabato City.

In an interview, Iqbal said local school boards can meaningfully contribute to a bigger regional education summit slated on Dec. 5-6, 2022, in Davao City.

“The Schools Division of Cotabato City is ever ready and passionate among other divisions to instill the battlecry for the Bangsamoro learners na walang batang Bangsamoro na mapag-iiwanan (that no Bangsamoro children will be left behind) In Shaa Allah,” according to the MBHTE minister.

To ensure that all education stakeholders are well-represented in the pre-summit, a number of select students were invited to join.

One of them is Grade 12 student Datu Farouk Ampatuan of Cotabato City National High School main campus.

Being a regional federation president of supreme student governments, Ampatuan expressed his gratitude to various educational sectors for giving them a chance to amplify their voices in policy formulation.

While Wednesday’s pre-summit focused on the Cotabato School Division, the MBHTE said the summit will also be held in Lamitan City, November 25; Basilan, November 28; and Maguindanao, November 30.

The activity was made possible under the leadership of the Cotabato City local government in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund and Pathways to Peace.