Article by: Abdulrasaq Amolegbe
Visual by: Zoe Lapada
What initially appeared as a confrontation between the government and The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces, led to the displacement of 98% of the members of Marawi City and other neighboring municipalities. The terse conflict arose from a government response to regain the hostages and communities that were placed under siege by the ISIL forces. Over two years after the Marawi crisis, displaced families, particularly those living in tents and in host communities, continue to call for food security and sustained livelihood opportunities. As one would expect, during the early stage of the fight, about 2 schools were burned down and by the time the fight had ended, more than 150 schools had been affected. This gave the ISIL fighters their primary method of the recruitment of child fighters from school.
Fast forward two years after the dreadful clash, and about 80% of the displaced citizens have returned, while 66,000 remain as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). From this staggering number, around 24,000 students are yet to find their way back to the four walls of the classroom. For these school age students, their schools had initially been destroyed by the attack. In addition, their search for a means of living overwhelmed their access to education. For more than 80% of the students in Marawi, schooling happens at home.
In response to the crisis, the NGO, Save The Children, created the Angoya School, which provides temporary education. While this is an amazing effort towards the rehabilitation and reintegration of schooling systems, there is still more to be done. While the effects of the Marawi Crisis on the schooling system are yet to be forgotten, the negative impacts of the current pandemic cannot be over emphasized. Accompanied by the global pandemic is the compulsory adherence to the prevention guidelines - particularly the lockdown policy. "Our lives back then were difficult. However, it is twice difficult this time because our house was destroyed and we have no school to go back to,” said Bailiya, one of the beneficiaries of Save the Children Philippines’ education program and an internally displaced learner at Angoyao Elementary School. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic grossly add to the underlying aftermath of the May 2017 Clash, but the lockdown measures have proven nothing near effective to foster education in the city. Although some schools are switching to a remote mode of learning, it is imperative to remember that classes and schools in Marawi City are still slowly recovering from the fatal clash. As of May 2020, there were already 9 confirmed cases with 4 deaths and 40 unconfirmed cases ravaging the city. Although the Department of Education has been allocated PHP 3.3 million for the distribution of learning kits to meet with the 2021 rehabilitation policy, students all over the city have yet to see the policy fully enacted.
Whereas Martial Law has been lifted from Mindanao, the declaration of a state of emergency in the province remains a concern. It is often said that education is a powerful weapon which has the ability to change the world. However, with almost all odds (remote learning, a state of emergency in the city, and the aftermath of the 2017 crisis) against schoolchildren in Marawi city, there is a need to revisit the growing educational inequity in the city.
Works Cited:
“Three Years after Marawi Siege, Children Face New Battle against COVID-19 - Philippines.” ReliefWeb, www.reliefweb.int/report/philippines/three-years-after-marawi-siege-children-face-new-battle-against-covid-19.
“The Challenge to Educate the Children Uprooted by the Siege of Marawi.” Google, Google, www.google.com/amp/s/www.euronews.com/amp/2019/11/28/philippines-the-challenge-to-educate-the-24-000-children-uprooted-by-the-2017-siege-of-mar.
Kabagani, Lade Jean. “P3.56-B 2020 Budget for Marawi Rehab Approved: TFBM Chair.” Philippine News Agency RSS, Philippine News Agency, 21 May 2020, www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1103580.
Comments