Being under the Spanish rule for over 300 years, Philippines is a dominantly Catholic country. Its education system was also highly influenced by the colonization; this can be seen through the presence of catechism in both public and private schools, and the high-esteem given to Catholic universities such as University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo De Manila University.
However, it should not be forgotten that Roman Catholic is not the only religion in the country. In Mindanao, the main religion is Muslim. Prior to the American public school system (which we have adopted), there is an education system being used in Muslim schools called madrasah system (http://www.mindanews.com/mindaviews/2017/01/kissa-and-dawat-notes-on-depeds-madrasah-education-program/). This system includes the Arabic language and Islamic values in its curriculum. This also teaches the students the language of the Qur-an, the holy book of Muslims.
Under the Department Order 51, s. 2004 of the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2004, it was mandated that Muslim schools (known as madaris) are to use a standard curriculum for both private and public schools. Prior to this order, there is a gap between the two schools since the public schools do not teach Arabic and the language of Qur-an, and Islamic values while the private madaris do not follow the Philippine education curriculum (https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/151128-fast-facts-education-system-ph).
With this move, DepEd aspires to build rapport between the two educational system and to show that the government does not discriminate religion. Having standardized the madrasah education program fosters an easy transfer from a public to private Madrasah and vice-versa. DepEd also seeks to preserve the Muslim’s culture while upholding the Filipino national identity. Over-all, this move is a win-win situation for all the parties involved.
In our country where religion is a delicate topic, the Madrasah Education Program demonstrates the kind of sensitivity that the Muslim community needs from the government. Continuing this understanding, not only for the Muslim community but other sectors alike, will be most beneficial to the unification of our country and improvement in our current system.
By: Rosanna Gamueda|Bataan National Highschool|Balanga, Bataan
