Araña Kanon and his fellow scholars proudly pose with their certificates of training during the graduation ceremony held on September 21, 2023 at Barangay Tumbras in Midsayap Cluster, Special Geographic Area (SGA) for the technical-vocational completers under the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education–Technical Education and Skills Development’s (MBHTE-TESD) scholarship program.(Photo by Hamdan Badrudin)
SPECIAL GEOGRAPHIC AREA—A total of 221 recipients of the Bangsamoro technical-vocational scholarship program received their certificates of training Thursday, Sep. 21, in a graduation ceremony at Barangay Tumbras in Midsayap Cluster of Special Geographic Area (SGA).
Implementing office Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education – Technical Education and Skills Development (MBHTE-TESD) Maguindanao Provincial Office said that 50 of the graduates were out-of-school youth. All of them were recipients of the “Tulong ng Tekbok sa Pag-angat ng Bangsamoro” scholarship program.
Maguindanao TESD Provincial Director Salehk Mangelen shared they ensured that out-of-school youth (OSY) are engaged in their programs.
“Kailangan tayo ng ating mga kabataan lalong lalo na ang mga OSY natin kaya kasama natin sila sa ating community-based programs,” Mangelen said.
He shared that while Chief Ministry Ahod Ebrahim’s marching order was to bring the government closer to the people, they ensure that every individual in their jurisdiction will have an access to government services.
Mangelen recounted that prior to the establishment of the BARMM, TESD programs are really inaccessible for those who live in remote areas.
But with the new autonomous government which centered its administration on ‘moral governance’, they were able to reach even the far-flung areas through their community-based training.
Moral governance as defined in Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 13 or the Bangsamoro Administrative Code “refers to the set of rules, practices, and processes completely devoid of all the evils of graft and corruption, and explicitly driven by the moral principles of utmost dedication, devotion, honesty, justice, and integrity”.
Twenty-five-year-old Araña Kanon is among those who took the National Certificate II on Agricultural Crops Production which he completed from June 12 to August 28, 2023.
“Tinuruan po kami ukol sa sistema ng pagsasaka kung saan nakabatay ito sa siyensya,” Kanon said.
Born and raised by a family who sourced their income from farming, he said that the program has helped him understand science-based principles of agricultural crops production.
“Sa ALS (Alternative Learning System) lamang din po ako nakapagtapos ng high school kaya malaking tulong po itong programa,” he further said.
Growing up with his 11 siblings, Kanon said that none of them were able to get a degree. Some of his siblings were able to make it to college but didn’t finish the race due to financial constraints.
Despite the difficulties, Kanon was thankful for the opportunities brought by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim (BARMM) government in their communities.
“Since nagkaroon ng BARMM, mas madali na po kami maka-avail ng serbisyo ng gobyerno. Katulad po ngayon, andito na po mismo sa lugar namin yung learning center,” he added.
Based on the handout provided by TESD, three local learning centers in the community have joined forces to make the learning possible.
These three learning centers have offered the following courses which the participants successfully hurdled: Agricultural Crop Production II, Masonry II, Carpentry II, Electrical Installation and Maintenance II, and Bread and Pastry Production II. (Abdullah Matucan/BIO)
