To: Undersecretaries/Assistant Secretaries
Regional Secretary – DepEd ARMM
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Principals/Private Madaris
School Heads/Public Schools

1. The global commitment on Education for All to provide access to quality education is a call that includes all forms of educational delivery systems. All children as rights-holders must be given quality education opportunity irrespective of their race, color, religion or culture.
2. For the Muslims of Mindanao and other parts of the country, the rightful and legitimate aspiration is to have an Islamic Education that is authentic and appropriate for the Bangsa Moro population. They aim to establish Islamic schools that would prepare generations of learned and intellectual Muslims imbued with Islamic values and spiritually prepared to serve the people and the country as a whole.
3. In the interest of national unity and the implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreement, Madrasah Education is declared a vital component of the National Educational System.
4. The Significant role of Islamic education through the Madaris to provide access to education must be recognized. It is mechanism of teaching the unreached and providing education that is meaningful, relevant and culture-sensitive for Muslim children.
5. The crucial issue that confronts most Muslim educators is the unification of curriculum amongst the Madaris. There is no uniformity in the curricular offerings. Public schools do not include Arabic language and Islamic values, making the Muslims ignorant of their religion and the language of the Holy Qur-an. Private Madaris do not follow the Philippine education curriculum, thereby turning students into virtual foreigners in their own country.
6. The Department of Education, in its effort to address these concerns, facilitated the formulation of a standard and viable curriculum for the public schools and for the private Madaris in Muslim communities, in consultation with concerned associations and stakeholders such as the Project Madrasah Education (PME) of DepED ARMM, Accrediting Association of Muslim Schools and Colleges, Inc. (AAMSCI) and the Bangsa Moro Development Agency (BDA) in the Seminar-Workshop on Curriculum Review and Enrichment held at Cotabato City on August 20-23, 2004. This curriculum that was formulated would be acceptable and responsive to the needs of Muslim Filipino children.
7. The Curriculum for both schools would aim to:
   • establish a smooth transfer of students from public to private Madrasah or vice versa;
   • unify the long history of dichotomy among Muslims;
   • promote the Filipino national identity and at the same time preserve the Muslims’ cultural heritage.
8. It is in this context that all public schools and private Madaris in Muslim communities are hereby enjoined to implement this standard curriculum provided in Inclosure 1 during the pilot year SY 2005-2006.
9. Series of orientation on the implementation prior to the opening in June 2005 will be spearheaded by the DepED Central Office in coordination with the different regions including DepED ARMM.
10. Immediate dissemination of this Order is required.

Encls.: As stated
Reference: MECS Order No. 24, s. 1985
Allotment: 1—(D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual index under the following subjects:
CURRICULUM
POLICY
SCHOOLS

DO_s2004_051