Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman has filed a bill seeking to mandate the inclusion of Arabic language or Islamic values education in the Philippine basic education system to make it more responsive to the diversity of learning needs of students.
In filing House Bill No. 7130, or the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) Act, Hataman seeks to institutionalize the Department of Education’s current program of the same name, which has been saddled by challenges of implementation and funding. A similar bill has been filed in the Senate by Sen. Win Gatchalian.
“We need to recognize that our diverse cultural and religious backgrounds require a more responsive educational approach, and the ALIVE bill is one way of addressing that for Muslim students to ensure their full participation and the realization of their potential,” Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct ARMM, said.
“At ang pagtuturo ng Arabic language at Islamic values education ay makakapagpataas din ng antas ng kamulatan para sa kultura at mga tradisyon ng mga Muslim. Kaya ito rin ay isang panukala laban sa diskriminasyon base sa relihiyon,” he added.
According to HB 7130, while Filipino Muslims are part of the Philippine education system both public and private, “many do not have access to education according to their cultural, traditional, social and religious beliefs, especially for those outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.”
“And as a part of the Filipino population whose numbers range anywhere from over 6 million to as high as 12 million, depending on the source of data, it is imperative that we incorporate Islamic education in all private and public schools, especially in cities and municipalities that have no accessible madrasahs for Muslim students,” it read.
“This bill, therefore, seeks to mandate the institutionalization and the strengthening of the existing ALIVE Program of DepEd in all public and private basic education schools outside BARMM,” the measure added.
The teaching of Arabic language and Islamic values education both to Muslim and non-Muslim students shall be optional or at the behest of the parents, whose approval is required in writing.