BARMM education ministry opens 8,400 scholarships for tech-voc, higher education

The following is a press release from the Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education.

Over 8,400 scholarship slots were opened for the Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Higher Education during the launching of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education’s Flagship Programs for the School Year 2020-2021 on Monday, July 13, in Cotabato City.

The 7,000 beneficiaries of the TVET scholarship shall be granted with programs, which include Skills Training, Entrepreneurship Training, Values Transformation Training (VTT), National Assessment, and a Training Support Fund of P100 per training day attended.

The Access to Higher and Modern Education Scholarship Program (AHME-SP) for 1,400 beneficiaries complements higher education scholarship, subsidy, loan, and similar programs implemented in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

These flagship scholarship programs of the MBHTE were aligned with the ministry’s 12-point priority agenda, designed to enhance the Bangsamoro education system, and defines the kind of education the Bangsamoro region aspires to.

“The journey to a robust and productive learning and educational system will be strenuous and unyielding,” said MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal. “The path would entail contesting and rescinding any practices or habits that have obstructed the development of the Bangsamoro region in the first place.”

The TVET scholarship is the first technical-vocational (tech-voc) scholarship in the region that includes VTT in all qualifications and aims to address the specific needs in the community level and provide assistance through increasing the access to TVET.

Meanwhile, the AHME-SP, also known as “Bangsamoro IQ Scholar,” aims to provide financial benefits of P60,000 per academic year and covers qualified senior high school and ALS graduates in the region and gives priority to qualified combatants and their children, orphans, and surviving spouses in line with the post-conflict rehabilitation and development efforts of the BARMM.

The launching of the MBHTE’s flagship programs also highlighted the Basic Education’s Abot Kaalaman sa Pamilyang Bangsamoro Project, which was designed to provide quality and accessible education to geographically isolated and remote communities. The AKAP Bangsamoro Project is a product of the collaborative partnership between the MBHTE and the Australian Government through the Pathways program.

To promote a balanced education, the Madaris Education and Islamic Studies also launched its enhanced Tahderiyyah program and Tahderiyyah textbooks called “Isal,” which is not ready for distribution; they will also start the hiring of ALIVE teachers.

“I am confident that the flagship programs launched today can also be implemented under any given circumstances and hopefully, becomes significant tools in redefining the importance of education in our region, In shaa Allah,” said BARMM Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim. – Rappler.com