BARMM, national agencies ink education pact to fix coordination gaps

Sam Benedicto

‎National and Bangsamoro education authorities signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Bangsamoro Education Coordination Forum (BECF) aiming to address a decade of coordination issues and directly target the country’s highest rates of child stunting and functional illiteracy.

‎In a joint statement on July 28, the agencies, alongside EDCOM 2 and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) officials, said the newly formalized body aims to bridge persistent gaps in delivering national programs to the autonomous region.

‎“We know that BARMM needs a lot of support and help. And hopefully po, the MOA for today will strengthen our partnership with BARMM at makita rin ho natin itong mga hinahanap nating reporma, hindi lang po sa ibang mga rehiyon kundi sa lahat ng rehiyon sa ating bansa,” said EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Senator Bam Aquino.

‎Under the agreement, the BECF will serve as a permanent coordination hub where the five signatory agencies meet regularly to align policies, synchronize funding, and set shared targets for BARMM schools.

‎The signatories are the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

‎The forum ensures that national programs—from scholarships to teacher training and learning recovery—are systematically funneled to the region rather than getting stalled by administrative confusion.

‎”For too long, questions relating to mandates, funding channels, eligibility and institutional responsibilities have sometimes stood in the way of learners accessing programs and opportunities that should be available to them. The Bangsamoro Education Coordination Forum will help address these doubts.” EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo expressed.

‎According to EDCOM 2’s own assessment, BARMM has the nation’s highest stunting rate (34.3 percent), a functional literacy rate of just 64.7 percent (32.7 percent in Tawi-Tawi), and preschool enrollment below 10 percent.

‎BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua welcomed the agreement, saying the forum transforms years of informal cooperation into a formal, binding structure.

‎”Today, we transform this mutual goodwill into a binding commitment. We are building a permanent platform where we share priorities, make collective decisions, share responsibility, and answer to each other and our people for their outcomes,” Macacua said.

‎The BECF is set to hold its first meeting in August 2026, where member agencies will identify priority reforms and set shared targets for 2027, aligned with the National Education and Workforce Development Plan.