Community and Family Services International (CFSI) and its partner Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) to implement the Alternative Learning System (ALS) 2.0 in six previously acknowledged camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
As the primary ministry overseeing education in the region, MBHTE will provide assistance to CFSI and BDA to implement ALS 2.0, which is the enhanced ALS following the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum. CFSI and BDA will be the first ALS 2.0 implementers in BARMM.
The MOA signing was conducted on 16 June with MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal, CFSI Director for Mindanao Programme Noraida Abdullah Karim, and BDA Project Coordinator Rhadzni Taalim.
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing for ALS 2.0 implementation in BARMM.
Prior the MOA signing, the ALS instructional managers, along with CFSI and BDA, underwent training on ALS 2.0 as preparation before immersing in their respective areas. With the improved modules, it is aimed to equip the 900 ALS 2.0 learners in the region with 21st century skills on information, media, and technology as well as learning and innovation.
Since 2018, CFSI has been implementing ALS in BARMM and has helped a total of 1,613 learners to complete the ALS curriculum. The implementation was in partnership then with the Department of Education-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) through its Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS). With the establishment of BARMM in 2019, CFSI formed a new partnership with MBHTE to continuously provide education services in the identified areas.
CFSI implements ALS in BARMM through the Mindanao Trust Fund-Reconstruction and Development Project Phase 2 (MTF-RDP/2). It aims to deliver community development assistance to conflict-affected areas in Mindanao, particularly the six previously acknowledged camps of MILF such as Camp Abubakar as-Siddique, Camp Badre, Camp Bilal, Camp Bushra, Camp Omar, and Camp Rajamuda.
The MTF-RDP/2 implementation is in accordance with the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and is carried out through a partnership agreement between CFSI and BDA. The World Bank functions as the Trust Fund Administrator of the MTF, which is a multi-donor trust fund including donors such as the European Union, the government of Sweden, Australia, Canada, United States, and New Zealand. #