BARMM bill to institutionalize Brigada Eskwela

 COTABATO CITY ― A mechanism to improve and institutionalize the Brigada Eskwela Program has been proposed to ensure that public schools in the Bangsamoro region are well-prepared for the upcoming school year.

Brigada Eskwela is a week-long school maintenance program in which all sectors work to ensure that students have a clean and conducive learning environment. It has been a longstanding tradition to prepare schools for the opening of classes, involving volunteers from communities, parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholders.

Member of Parliament Engr. Baintan Adil-Ampatuan, main author of Parliament Bill No. 254, or the Brigada Eskwela Program Act of 2023, emphasized that the education of the youth is a shared responsibility that extends beyond the classroom and involves all sectors of society.

The proposed measure seeks to establish the Brigada Eskwela Program as a mandatory undertaking for all public schools operating within the region.

Under the bill, two to three weeks before the start of the school year, public schools will be required to conduct orientation activities for school heads, assess the school's needs, implement maintenance and repair activities, monitor the progress of the identified requirements through the submission of accomplishment reports, and conduct training and relevant seminars to sustain the program effectively.

A Brigada Eskwela Committee will be created to plan, provide guidance, and monitor all public schools in the region. The committee will formulate a framework that will serve as a blueprint for the implementation of the program.

To ensure the successful implementation of the Brigada Eskwela Program, the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education is tasked with the administration and implementation of the program.

MPs Atty. Laisa Alamia, Amilbahar Mawallil, Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, Engr. Don Mustapha Loong, Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr., Rasul Ismael, Tawakal Midtimbang, Jaafar Apollo Mikhail Matalam, Michael Midtimbang, Atty. Sittie Fahanie Uy-Oyod, Khalid Hadji Abdullah, and Bassir Utto are co-authors of the bill. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)