ARMM holds first ever basic education donors forum

Davao City - Prime movers of basic education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) pooled together today in the first ever ARMM Basic Education Donors Forum this city.

Organized by the Department of Education (DepEd)-ARMM, the Regional Planning and Development Office (RPDO) and the Oversight Committee on Strengthening Development Assistance Coordination (OC-SDAC) in ARMM, the forum was attended by various local and international donor institutions.

In attendance were heads and representatives of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, United Nations Children Fund, Department of Education-National Office, Mindanao Economic Development Council, International Labor Organization, Department of Public Works and Highways, Consulate of Malaysia and ARMM’s key cabinet officials.

The forum was intended to synchronize efforts to improve the region’s education sector and to maximize the impact of official development assistance.

ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, in a message read by Executive Sec. Oscar Sampulna, said his administration recognizes the importance of basic education in poverty alleviation and in peace and development in general.

He said 52.8%, or equivalent to P5.2 billion, of the proposed budget of ARMM for 2009 will go to DepEd-ARMM to support urgent needs of the education sector.
Ampatuan lauded the DepEd-ARMM for coming up with a development plan and a six-year strategic plan on basic education.

The ARMM chief likewise requested members of donor institutions to consider the policies and guidelines on official development assistance adopted by the regional government in support to the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.

The said policies are designed to make the most of the aids being received by the region.

Ampatuan has already called for the creation of committees to manage the utilization of development assistance including on education such as the OC-SDAC.

DepEd-ARMM Secretary Udtog Kawit said the help from donor institutions has been largely instrumental in the implementation of key programs on improving the quality and access to basic education in the region.

“We were able to undertake innovative programs to improve basic education in the region with the help of our partners in the donor communities,” he said.

Kawit said the department’s budget barely suffices for the salaries of its more than 20,000 teachers and other employees.

The department is still in need of sufficient funds to invest on school infrastructures and other facilities, he said.

Kawit said they are looking forward to the enactment of House Bill 37 otherwise known as the Basic Education Act of ARMM in the Regional Assembly (RA), which is being fully endorsed by the ARMM Governor.

The Basic Education Act of ARMM seeks to strengthen basic education in the region. Its salient features were among the highlights presented during the forum.

DepED Undersecretary Manaros Boransing, who represented Secretary Jesli Lapus, lauded the efforts of the ARMM government in improving the state of education in the region. He noted the close working relationship between the DepEd National and the ARMM regional government under the present administration.

The donor community unanimously responded positively and vowed to continue their assistance to improve the quality of education in ARMM. (bpi-armm)