DepEd-ARMM intensifies interventions in areas affected by Marawi conflict

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur: The Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) has intensified its interventions for school children affected by the Marawi conflict to ensure they would go back to school.

Dubbed Back-to-School and Stay-in-School (BTS/SIS), the program launched in Davao City on Monday “is an inter-organization initiative for conflict-affected learners to ensure that they will go back to school, or access learning through the provision of basic education services, skills training and peace building,” said Rasol Mitmug Jr., ARMM’s Education Secretary.

“This program is part of the ARMM government’s response for the conflict-affected population in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur,” Sec. Mitmug added. There were 125,004 school children adversely affected by the Marawi siege when terrorist groups occupied the city over a year ago.

BTS/SIS is set to run from June this year to March 2019 in 18 towns in Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte, including Marawi City. DepEd-ARMM will partner with government agencies and 18 nongovernmental organizations to implement the program.

Cris Cayon of the United Nations Children’s Fund, one of the partner agencies in BTS/SIS, said the initiative needs support for other concerns to complement that of the education sector. Among these are peace building in communities, peace education in schools, psycho-social support services for displaced children, livelihood support, skills training and others.

During the program launching, DepEd-ARMM officials also underscored the agency’s interventions in response to the Marawi conflict. Alfhadar Pajiji, the region’s Education Assistant Secretary for Special Programs and Projects, said to date, the agency has already constructed 47 temporary learning shelters in Marawi City.

DepEd-ARMM has also implemented catch-up education program for 2,363 kindergarten pupils in Marawi and neighboring towns. “From April to May 2018, we implemented Kinder Catch-up Education Program, or KCEP, among school children who failed to enroll in kindergarten classes because of the siege,” Asec. Pajiji said.

“It is an 8-week catch-up education program for those who are unable to attend or finish any kindergarten education during the school year,” he added.

Pajiji said to address health and nutrition issues among affected school children, DepEd-ARMM partnered with Gawad Kalinga for its regular feeding program and provision of Central Kitchen. Two feeding centers are located in Marawi City and one in the town of Saguiran in Lanao del Sur. - Rocaya Sumndad Otical/Bureau of Public Information)