ZAMBOANGA CITY – Top education officials and a senator have confirmed their attendance to serve as resource speakers in the first-ever Provincial Education Summit aimed at improving the quality of school education in Basilan on Tuesday.
Basilan Gov. Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman said among those coming to the summit are Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate’s Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture; Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Jesus Lorenzo Mateo; and Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM).
Salliman said the summit focuses to empower and capacitate the teachers and administrators of both public and private schools across Basilan.
“We will also discuss and address issues and concerns affecting the education sector in the province,” he said on Monday.
A study showed that Basilan's literacy rate has risen over the past two decades, although it remains one of the Philippines' lowest with 72.2 percent considered literate, compared to the national figure of 92.6 percent.
More than 42 percent of the population, 5 year old and older, attended or completed elementary education; 17.3 percent attended or completed high school; and 1.5 percent attended or finished post-secondary education.
Less than 3 percent possessed academic degrees, while 6.2 percent were college undergraduates. Only a few pursued post-baccalaureate studies.
There were more males than females among those who attended or finished elementary (51.1 percent), high school (50.3 percent), college undergraduates (52.0 percent), and post-baccalaureate courses (58.4 percent).
On the other hand, more females attended or completed post-secondary courses at 52.9 percent, and academic degree holders, 52.34 percent.
Basilan has three schools divisions that include Isabela City, which is under DepEd, and Lamitan City and Basilan, both under the MBHTE-BARMM.
Anchored on the theme “Collective Ownership, Resolving Learning Gaps,” the summit will be held in Lamitan City. (PNA)
