Minister for Economic Affairs Tomochika Uyama will attend two turnover ceremonies on June 17 and 18, 2010 in Maguindanao.
On June 17, Minister Uyama will attend the turnover ceremony for the newly constructed five classroom s furnished with desks and chairs at the Ibn Ta m iyah Foundation Academy, Inc. in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat. This project titled the Project for Construction of Five–Classroom Building at Ibn Tamiyah Foundation Academy, Inc. was funded through the Embassy of Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) with a grant amounting to 74,556 US d ollars (approximately 3.5 million pesos ).
Ibn Tamiyah Foundation Academy, Inc. is providing education from the pre–school to the college level. It is a Madrasah that offe rs Islamic studies in Arabic. In the past, the Academy's high school students who wanted to pursue public education offered in English had to enroll in evening classes in other schools. Due to this inconvenience, the Academy, with the approval of the Department of Education, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM), introduced an English curriculum in 2002. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of classrooms, the Academy was not able to implement the new curriculum fully, and had to shorten the whole day schedule to a half day so that classes in all levels could be accommodated. In addition, some high school students had to endure overcrowded classrooms.
With the construction of the new building with five (5) classrooms, students can now enjoy an improved learning environment. Two hundred and fifty (250) desks with chairs have also been provided by the grant.
On June 18, Minister Uyama will attend the ceremony marking the completion of the educational facilities constructed by Oxfam Japan under the Strengthening Schools and Community Structures as Focal Points for Community Reconstruction and Conflict Reduction Project at the Kakal Elementary School in Paglat, Maguindanao. This project was funded through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects , a small-grant funding program of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA), with a grant amounting to 124,763 US dollars (approximately 5.8 million pesos). This is the first project implemented by a Japanese NGO under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD), which was launched in December 2006 as part of the Government of Japan's commitment to support peace and development efforts in Mindanao.
Under this project, three (3) school buildings with six (6) classrooms have been constructed for the Kakal Elementary School in Paglat, Maguindanao furnished with 300 desks and chairs. The project also included training for the parents, teachers and community associations (PTCA) of the Kakal Elementary School and Salam Elementary School that aimed at empowering the capacity of the associations in terms of advocacy and fund-raising. Through the trainings, they learnt how to effectively communicate to related government agencies such as the Municipal Government of Paglat and the DepEd-ARMM for the improvement of the schools' educational environment.
Both projects were implemented under the J-BIRD. The projects implemented through the J–BIRD include the construction of the Japan–ARMM Friendship Hall and Training Center in Cotabato City. The center was funded by Japan through the Counter-value Fund, amounting to 28.8 million pesos, which the Philippine Government accumulated by selling the commodities procured under Japan's Non-Project Grant Aid for the Philippines. The center will serve as a training center for Human Resource Development Programs of ARMM's regional line agencies and adjacent administrative regions and cities.
