COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Newly appointed Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) Minister Naguib Sinarimbo has pledged to overhaul the Bangsamoro region’s education sector, aiming to tackle severe gaps in literacy, teacher deployment, and student retention.
Sinarimbo, a Member of Parliament and lawyer, took his oath on Friday, November 6, as the head of the largest ministry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In his inaugural remarks, he addressed the critical findings highlighted in a recent report by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2).
“From low literacy and learning proficiency levels to persistent gaps in educational access, teacher development, and institutional capacity, these findings underscore the urgency of addressing the systemic challenges confronting our education sector,” Sinarimbo said.
According to Edcom 2 data, BARMM recorded the country’s highest proportion of struggling readers at 25.5% among Grades 1 to 3 students for the 2025–2026 school year.
Sinarimbo also noted that the region’s functional literacy rate sits at 64.7%—trailing the national average of 69%—while the cohort survival rate lingers at 6.6%, indicating that only about seven out of every 100 elementary entrants ultimately complete a college degree.
“These are not merely data. Behind every statistic are Bangsamoro children whose futures depend on the quality of education we are able to provide,” Sinarimbo emphasized, adding, “We cannot afford to ignore these realities, nor can we allow them to define the future of our children.”
Beyond academic metrics, the new education chief committed to resolving deep-seated issues in infrastructure, governance, and human resources. To alleviate severe classroom congestion, Sinarimbo pointed out an immediate need to hire at least 5,000 new teachers.
Current enrollment data shows high student-to-teacher ratios across the region: 37:1 for elementary, 30:1 for junior high school, and a staggering 62:1 for senior high school.
Sinarimbo stressed that turning the region’s educational landscape around requires a collective push across all sectors of society rather than government action alone.
“It takes a whole nation to educate a child. Education must become more than a government service. It must be a collective investment and a shared commitment that unites every institution, community, and family in building a progressive and self-reliant Bangsamoro,” he concluded.