Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Tuesday underscored the importance of learning system orientation in advancing education reforms in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The Department of Education (DepEd) conducted a high-level visit at the Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) in Cotabato City on Monday amid the nationwide orientation on learning system reforms.

In line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the nationwide orientation seeks to prepare public schools for the detailed operations ahead of the school year 2026 to 2027.

In a statement, Angara said the ongoing initiative is crucial to equip public school leaders and teachers in the proper implementation of reforms at a classroom level.

“Through these orientations, we are helping schools understand not only what will change, but how these reforms can support better teaching, stronger learner outcomes, and more responsive implementation in different local contexts,” he said.

For his part, MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal said they discussed how these reforms may be linked and adapted within the BARMM.

Included in the reform roadmap are the implementation of the three-term school calendar; the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program; revised assessment and grading; updated lesson planning guidelines; and the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) curriculum with flexible pathways.

Under the revised school calendar, the school year is reorganized into structured blocks to ensure learner assessment, instruction, intervention and teacher development.

With the additional intervention periods, learners under remediation and recovery programs will be given more support.

The ARAL program, meanwhile, caters to learners who have been affected by learning loss during the pandemic or limited access to learning resources, with focus on Reading, Mathematics and Science.

The DepEd is also boosting efforts to ensure employability and livelihood for SHS graduates, which include addressing skills mismatch between the basic education and industry demands and community needs. (PNA)