MADRASAH PROJECT: AFTER COMPLETING U.S. TRAINING,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000424 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, DRL/CRA, INR/EAP, EAP/PD, S/CT DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID ANE/TS - L. SAULS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PTER SOCI KISL RP SUBJECT: MADRASAH PROJECT: AFTER COMPLETING U.S. TRAINING, EDUCATORS SLATED TO BEGIN LOCAL PROJECTS REF: A. 05 MANILA 0106 ¶B. 04 MANILA 5479 ¶C. 04 STATE 193469 ¶1. (U) This Message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (U) Summary: Twenty-eight madrasah educators from Mindanao have completed training courses in the U.S. on American educational practices and values, as part of a USD 400,000 USG-sponsored "Madrasah Teacher Training Project." The next phase of the two-year project -- in which participants will share what they learned via tailored local projects -- is slated to begin in February. The project is designed to assist in bringing the Philippines' Islamic educational system into the mainstream. End Summary. -------------- Muslim Educators Complete U.S. Training -------------- ¶3. (U) Twenty-eight educators from madaris (Islamic schools) in Mindanao recently completed three-week study tours in the U.S. as part of a DRL-sponsored "Madrasah Teacher Training Project." Two tranches of educators visited the U.S. during the September-December 2005 timeframe in order to attend presentations by university professors and other experts. Participants also visited schools, religious organizations, and the Department of State and other USG offices. The goal of the visits was to introduce the educators to American educational practices and values (see further background on the project contained in para six below). ¶4. (SBU) Dr. Sam Molao, a Dean at Cotabato city's University of Southern Mindanao (one of the largest universities in Mindanao),accompanied the first tranche of educators to the U.S. in September. He told poloff on January 27 that the trip went "perfectly" and that the visiting educators had received a very friendly welcome wherever they went. Undersecretary for Education Manaros Boransing, who accompanied the second tranche, told poloff that the visit was the first exposure to American educational institutions for the educators, most of whom were trained in the Middle East. He echoed Dr. Molao's view that the trip had been a great success. -------------- Next Phase -------------- ¶5. (U) Having returned to the Philippines, program participants are set to begin the next phase of the project, which will involve using what they have learned in their own schools and within their wider communities. Support for these local projects is provided in the form of "mini- grants" in the amount of USD 2,000 each. Mission recently reviewed the local grant proposals in coordination with the project's contractor, the Institute for Training and Development (ITD),a U.S.-based NGO. Planned activities include workshops for Mindanao-based educators on teaching strategies and methods; on school management; and on ways to promote community participation in education. Some of the funds are also going toward purchasing much-needed educational materials. The mini-grants are scheduled to be implemented between February-June 2006. -------------- Background -------------- ¶6. (U) DRL approved the Philippine madrasah project in September 2004 under the ESF/Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) with a grant of USD 400,000 (ref B). The madrasah project aims to strengthen and mainstream the education system in Muslim communities in Mindanao. In June 2005, the Institute for Training and Development (ITD) together with its partner, the University of Southern Mindanao, conducted orientation and interviews with madrasah teachers from the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur MANILA 00000424 002 OF 002 (all of which have large Muslim populations) in order to select 28 participants for the program. The project is scheduled to wrap up with a national "Educator Networking" conference in late 2006. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The "Madrasah Teacher Training Project" complements several other USG-funded projects that help train school administrators and teachers from selected public schools and private madaris in Mindanao. The USG, among its other programs in the educational field, is working to improve the English language proficiency of both teachers and public elementary students, and to provide alternative education to out of school youths in Mindanao. These programs all support the Philippine Department of Education's long-term goal of bringing madaris into the educational mainstream -- and thus marginalize radical elements -- by training teachers for accreditation by the national Board of Education (see ref B). JONES