COTABATO CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) has announced that only 41 of the 258 Asatidz (Madrasah teachers) successfully hurdled the previous year’s Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).

Education Undersecretary for Muslim Affairs Manaros Boransing said the Asatidz were allowed by the Education department to take the LET after they have completed a two-level professional training in various Southern Philippines state colleges and universities and private tertiary institutions of learning duly accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

Boransing said the first training was a 23-day Language Enhancement and Pedagogy (LEAP) which covered four modules.

According to Boransing, the four modules are listening and speaking, writing English, methods of teaching, and emersion in public elementary schools.

Boransing said the second training was a two-year Accelerated Teacher Education Program (ATEP) which was offered, through a special arrangement by CHEd, at the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) in Davao City, University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, North Cotabato, Notre Dame University (NDU) in Cotabato City, MSU-General Santos City campus, and MSU-Tawi-Tawi campus.

According to the education undersecretary for Muslim Affairs, the two-year ATEP involved, among other things, face-to-face classroom instruction and distance learning with the Asatidz-scholars receiving financial subsidy of P122,000 each from the DepEd for their tuition fees and training allowance.

Boransing said the ATEP was also supported by the “Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao” (BEAM), an educational project covering Muslim-populated areas.