New learning hub inside former MILF camp helps pupils in remote Maguindanao town

TALAYAN, Maguindanao del Sur (MindaNews / 12 June)—Already 12 years old, Mohaimen Ismael remains a second grader. At his age, he should be in Grade 6.

_{Mohaimen Ismael with other school children exploring new books inside the learning hub within the MILF’s Camp Omar in Barangay Lanting, Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur. MindaNews photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA}

Thanks to the new learning facility built inside the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Camp Omar in Barangay Lanting, Talayan, Maguindanao, there’s hope for Mohaimen to catch up.

It was against all odds for Mohaimen—his family being under extreme poverty, and the nearest school was just too far from the Ismael household, about seven kilometers away.

His parents could not fund his studies, and instead prioritized work in the farm so they would have food on the table.

Mohaimen has five other siblings; he is the fourth.

“I really wanted to go to school but there was none nearby. So when I learned about this new school, I and my friends and siblings enrolled right away,” Mohaimen said in the vernacular. “I want to study to be able to help my mother and our family,” he said when MindaNews visited the school on May 30.

The Bangsamoro government has built a learning center inside Camp Omar through the “Abot Kaalaman sa Pamilyang Bangsamoro” or AKAP of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) with support from the Australian government’s Pathways program (short for Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao) and implemented by BRAC Philippines (an international development organization that originated in Bangladesh) and Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) as implementing partners.

In order to catch up, Mohaimen has embarked on massive book reading to widen his knowledge. In fact, he is now ahead of the other pupils in the school with his reading habit.

The community helped build the learning hub the “bayanihan” way, with parents taking part in the physical construction of the facility.

For them, the Barangay Lanting Learning Center is not only for their children; they too would like to be educated. Most of the residents in the community belong to the Teduray tribe and most of them have not received formal education.

Dioscoro Eballes, the school head, said the center will surely help educate the children of the indigenous people while reading together with their parents without forgetting their culture and tradition.

_{Parents join their children at the Barangay Lanting Learning Center. MindaNews photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA}

“I hope this learning center will guide our school children and that they will not forget their culture, belief and tradition,” he said.

“Reading comprehension is very important for our school children. If we lack reading materials [in the classroom], I can bring them to the library so they can read further,” said Mohammad Kaul, learning facilitator in Barangay Lanting.

Malou Gonzales, community organizer of BRAC Philippines, said the learning hub is very helpful for children living in far-flung communities.

“This is a huge help to our IP children, especially those living in the mountain villages, with the learning center getting closer to them,” she said.

“They started learning to read and count. We are giving them 5 to 10 minutes reading time every day and the activity includes their parents who, like their kids, are also excited to learn to read,” Gonzales added.

Riz Barandino of PATHWAYS said that to ensure that children get education, is to bring the learning institution closer to them.

“What we do is ensuring IP children will no longer have to walk for several kilometers because we brought the school here, close to them,” she added.

_{MILF members serve as security at the learning center built inside Camp Omar. MindaNews photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA}

“At a young age, they can start the learning process. This learning center is not only for this barangay. Children from neighboring villages can come and be educated, for them to learn to read and write and count. This is open to all who wish to learn,” Barandino added.

Alih Anso, MBHTE consultant, stressed that it is important to teach the children the right education.

The learning hub in Barangay Lanting is among the centers designed for 106 underserved villages across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Residents and IP school children here remained optimistic that more support would come in the future, especially e-learning facilities.

More than anybody, Mohaimen is so excited, now helping his friends to catch up on reading, too. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)

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