ARMM inks scholarship agreement with Indonesian government

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The Indonesian government will facilitate the schooling in Ache of 30 local prospective Islamic theology students via a scholarship tie-up with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Imam Alzad Sattar, regional undersecretary for Islamic studies of the Department of Education-ARMM, on Monday said the scholarship agreement was forged last week by the regional government, the Indonesian Embassy and the Yayasan Sukma School in the Ache.

The Indonesian Ache region in Sumatra is an Islamic bastion, where there are dozens of religious schools teaching Islamic theology.

Lawyer Rasol Mitmug Jr., chief-of-staff of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, signed in Metro Manila on Friday the agreement between the regional government and the administration of the Islamic school, paving the way for the recruitment of 30 scholars from the autonomous region.

Mitmug signed the document on Hataman’s behalf, in the presence of officials from the Indonesian embassy.

The scholars shall enjoy free tuition and all other school fees; free textbooks and uniforms; free meals and accommodation.

Sattar said the travel of students to Ache and their return to the Philippines for vacations shall be shouldered by the benefactor of the scholarship program.

The Yayasan Sukma School is a popular Islamic learning institution in Ache, which teaches Islamic values on students, particularly religious tolerance and fraternalism, interfaith unity and “culture of peace,” which is also being propagated extensively in public schools by the ARMM government.

The ARMM has a Madaris Education Bureau that handles Islamic peace education subjects in public schools.

John Magno, ARMM’s regional education secretary, said the scholarship agreement between the ARMM government and Indonesian benefactors will complement the domestic peace initiatives and interfaith solidarity thrusts of the Hataman administration.