Nurturing Islamic values and Bangsamoro identity through Madrasah Education
by Karen Rivera, Pathways
One morning in July 2024, Madrasah Dar Al-Uloom Wal Hikmah Institute, Inc. (Madrasah Uloom) in Cotabato City was buzzing with excitement as children in neatly pressed uniforms, holding Australian flags, excitedly awaited the arrival of visitors from the Australian Embassy.
Among those anxiously waiting to take the first glimpse of the visitors, was six-year-old Jannah, an incoming grade two student. The guests arrived amid mounting anticipation and the children greeted them with smiles and recited the greetings they had rehearsed for the occasion.
Jannah’s mother, Zinnaida, a former overseas worker, was beaming with pride as she watched her youngest daughter take part in such an important occasion at her school.
In 2018 when Zinnaida and her late husband were making plans to settle back in the Philippines after living in Saudi Arabia for 17 years, one of their biggest concerns was finding the best school for their children. Jannah’s older siblings were already studying Arabic and English by then at a school in Saudi.
“We wanted them to continue their Arabic lessons when we moved back to the country. We were looking for a school that would give them an education grounded on Islamic values. Madrasa Uloom came with strong recommendations from our relatives here in Cotabato City,” said Zinnaida. After some careful consideration, the couple decided to enroll their two older children at the school, and a few years later, Jannah joined them.
“What I like about the school is the holistic education that it provides my children. The school strongly promotes Islamic values, while also teaching regular academic subjects. I also like that prayer time is an important part of their daily schedule. As a Muslim parent, it means so much that our children can perform their prayers even when they are in school. Prayer is an important part of a Muslim’s life,” Zinnaida said.
Australian Government’s support to Madrasah Education
Madrasah Dar Al-Uloom Wal Hikmah Institute, Inc., which means School of Knowledge and Wisdom, is an Islamic school that offers Kinder to Grade 10 Islamic Studies and Arabic Language along with academic subjects and has over 470 learners. It is one of 25 model madaris in the Bangsamoro region that implements the standard madrasah curriculum that balances general K-12 subjects and Islamic teaching that focuses on the holistic development of Bangsamoro learners.
A madrasah is a school that aims to develop Muslim learners to be morally upright and committed to excellence by providing a holistic education that nurtures the intellectual, spiritual, social, psychological, and physical growth of learners. Across the Bangsamoro region, there are approximately 1,700 formal and non-formal madaris (plural of madrasah) that serve over 84,000 learners like Jannah.
The Australian Government, through the Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao (Pathways) program, works with the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), the Department of Education (DepED), and local education partners to formally integrate and standardise madrasah education, and strengthen their quality, accessibility, and inclusivity to foster peace and development in the Bangsamoro region. Since 2017, the Pathways program has supported the delivery of quality and inclusive Kindergarten (Tahderriyah) to Grade 3 (K to 3) education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Through the Pathways program, administrators of the 25 model madaris are being supported with training on School-Based Management practices and School Planning for school administrators, while teachers are provided training in the areas of lesson planning, teaching strategies, and learning assessment.
Learning together
“My favourite subject is English and I want to be a doctor when I grow up because I want to take care of my family if they get sick,” said Jannah in a small voice barely above a whisper.
Her grade 1 teacher, Miss Tandiong, described her as a smart girl but a little bit shy. “Jannah is quiet in class; she doesn’t speak unless spoken to. But when I ask her a question, she answers correctly. When I ask her to recite a surah (a chapter in the Qur’an), she does it flawlessly”, Miss Tandiong said.
Zinnaida proudly said that she is amazed at how much her daughter is learning at school. “At her age, she is now able to write her name in Arabic and read a little. She can also recite an entire chapter of the Qur’an,” she said in amazement. She shared that Jannah displays such interest in learning that she would bring out her notebook in the car on their way home and start learning the new verses that her teacher gave her that day.
Zinnaida confides that she is learning to write in Arabic with her daughter. “I learned to speak Arabic while living in Saudi Arabia, but I never learned how to write,” she said with a smile. “I am also learning from her the proper way of saying our prayers,” she added. She then shared that even though both her parents are Maguindanaon natives of Cotabato City, religion was not a priority in her family in her younger years.
Growing up in Manila, Zinnaida had never taken an interest in going to a madrasah, although there was one close to their house. She was thoroughly engrossed with life in the city and had no interest in learning the teachings of the Qur’an. It was only when she worked in Saudi Arabia as a pharmacist and met her late husband, an engineer, that her education in Islam seriously began.
“My husband was a deeply religious man. It was from him that I learned about the practices of Islam, the do’s and don’ts. He was the one who taught our children to read the Qur’an. He wanted our children to grow up embracing their identity as Muslims.” she shared, adding that her husband died not long after the family settled in Cotabato City.
With her husband gone, Zinnaida said that she feels confident that she is raising her children right because they are learning and growing in their faith, thanks to the dedication and encouragement of their teachers at Madrasa Uloom.
“They are really good and focused on their students’ learning. They use strategies that make the lessons engaging,” she enthused.
When asked about her dreams for her children, Zinnaida said hers is a simple one. “I hope they will grow up with the fear of Allah and be successful in whatever career they choose,” she said with a smile.
The Australian Government, through the Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao (Pathways) program works with the Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) and other stakeholders to strengthen education policies and institutions, develop a locally relevant curriculum, improve the quality of teaching and learning, and ensure inclusive education for all children in the BARMM.
The Australian Government has supported the development of the MBHTE’s Madrasah Education Strategic Plan, which sets out the education priorities to accelerate student learning outcomes in the BARMM and address key challenges in formal Madrasah education. It has also supported joint efforts to increase enrolment in formal madrasah education, resulting in an increase of more than 4,000 in enrollment in 2023, compared to the previous one.