THE Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Unit (MCDPU) has achieved a significant milestone, with 3,000 graduates completing their studies for School Year 2024-2025.
Aleem Abdulrahman Caderao, Executive Program Director of the MCDPU, told the City Information Office that the MCDPU has a unique role in propagating traditional madrasah education for young Muslim learners in Davao City.
Unlike the Department of Education’s Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) program, the MCDPU focuses on preserving and developing traditional Islamic teachings and values.
The MCDPU was formally institutionalized in 2021 under the administration of then Mayor Sara Duterte. The unit was created to address the needs of Muslim communities, including social services and the development of traditional Islamic education.
Caderao said the MCDPU currently caters to around 4,000 students in 47 Madrasah Centers in the city, with the help of 160 educators. The traditional madrasah curriculum includes nine subjects: Arabic language, Jurisprudence of Islam, Traditions and Customs of the Muslims, Quranic studies, and others. Values like peaceful coexistence and good citizenship are also integrated into the teachings.
He also urged Muslims and non-Muslims to enrol in Madrasah Centers, emphasizing that education in these centers is free. Enrolment for the next school year will begin in the third week of April.
“Arabic Literacy is the key to Islamic Literacy. If you are to live in Davao, we want to promote peace and order, kinahanglan ma-educate gyod ta sa tama nga pagpanudlo sa Islam (we must be educated on the teachings of Islam), and MCDPU has been advocating for this, promoting peace and development by spreading authentic knowledge,” he said.
For further details, Dabawenyos are encouraged to visit the nearest Madrasah Center. CIO
Editor’s Note: This article has been sourced from the City Government of Davao Facebook Page.
