DEPUTY Minority Leader and Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman have 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.

“Kung malaking bahagi ng ating populasyon ay mga Pilipinong Muslim, mayroon tayong diversity of learning needs sa ating mga paaralan na kailangang tugunan. Layon ng panukalang ito na maging mas inclusive para sa mag-aaral na Muslim ang ating basic education system,” Hataman said.

In filing House Bill (HB) No. 7130, or the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) Act, Hataman sought to institutionalize the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 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 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (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 (BARMM).”

“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.

Section 7 of the bill states: “At the option expressed in writing by the parents or guardians of the learners, the subject of Arabic Language or Islamic Values Education, or both, shall be taught to Muslim Filipino learners, as well as to non-Muslim Filipino learners as an integral part of the ALIVE Program.”

“To ensure effective, efficient, and smooth management of the ALIVE Programs, there is hereby created an Office on Madrasah Education (OME) in the DepEd to be headed by the Undersecretary for Madaris. This office shall coordinate with the relevant stakeholders for the proper implementation of the Madaris programs,” the bill said.

It also provides for the integration of the program into the tertiary levels of education.

“The DepEd, in collaboration with the NCMF, CHED, and TESDA, shall establish programs to ensure the integration of the teaching of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language with higher and technical-vocational education system towards continuity of learning and creation of opportunity for basic education graduates in the country to harness their potential, pursue higher education, or seek employment,” the measure said.

The bill also aims to enrich the education system with the “cultural and religious knowledge of the Islamic faith and foster national unity in diversity among Muslim and non-Muslim students.”

“But the (DepEd’s) ALIVE Program… faced many challenges, such as difficulties in the implementation of the ALIVE curriculum; availability of facilities, textbooks, materials, and teachers’ training; funds for salaries of teachers, and many more,” HB 7130 stated.

“This measure seeks to resolve all of those challenges with the authority and mandate of a law. For as long as the ALIVE Program is not implemented properly and correctly, Filipino Muslim students suffer from a lack of competent instruction in the Islamic faith while in a secular school,” it added.

The measure also mandates the formulation of a roadmap that will comprehensively and competently lay out its effective implementation of the ALIVE Program, specifically addressing the existing challenges, including the gap in competencies of basic education graduates of madrasahs who do not have the skills for immediate employment.