According to reports, the education system in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is increasingly confronting questions that can no longer be deferred. What was once framed as transitional challenges now appears to be a deeper governance issue affecting how education resources are planned, managed, and delivered.
Recent findings from the Bangsamoro Parliament have highlighted persistent delays in program implementation and inefficient use of the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education’s (MBHTE) ₱26.49 billion budget allocation—the largest share of BARMM’s ₱114 billion regional budget. When such substantial funding fails to produce visible improvements in classrooms, infrastructure, and learning outcomes, concerns over accountability become unavoidable.
These issues are especially significant in a region where education is central to long-term peacebuilding and development. Instead of closing gaps through national standards, BARMM’s education indicators suggest a system that is still struggling with foundational weaknesses.
Functional illiteracy is reportedly as high as 38.3%, well above the national average of 30.6%. While statistics alone do not capture the full complexity of the situation, such figures point to persistent gaps in basic literacy and numeracy skills essential for everyday participation in society and the economy.
Teacher quality also remains a pressing concern. BARMM ranks near the bottom nationally in licensure examination performance, placing 34th out of 39 regions. This raises broader questions about teacher preparation, training systems, and institutional support for educators who are expected to carry the weight of learning recovery in the region.
At the higher education level, the challenges appear even more severe. Reported dropout rates reaching up to 90%, combined with an enrollment participation rate of only 8.7%, suggest a system struggling not only with access but also with retention and sustainability. These figures are difficult to reconcile with the scale of public investment allocated to the sector.
Infrastructure and administrative efficiency issues further complicate the picture. Unfinished school buildings, shortages in basic learning materials, and unutilized funds from previous fiscal cycles allegedly continue to surface. Taken together, these concerns point to long-standing weaknesses in planning, monitoring, and execution within the education bureaucracy.
Leadership changes may offer a potential opening for reform. Abdulraof Macacua has already replaced former education minister Mohagher Iqbal under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, signaling an attempt to reset priorities and address persistent gaps. However, experience suggests that leadership turnover alone is not enough. Without deeper structural reforms in budgeting systems, program execution, and accountability mechanisms, such changes risk being largely symbolic.
Ultimately, the issue confronting BARMM education is not merely the size of its budget, but whether that budget is effectively translated into meaningful outcomes for learners. Until that gap is narrowed, the region’s education system will continue to face scrutiny over its capacity to deliver on its most basic promise: quality education for all.
