The Bangsamoro Parliament has intensified its scrutiny on several issues affecting the region’s education sector, including shortage of teachers, delayed teacher salaries, and other operational issues within the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE).

The Parliament’s Committee on Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (CBHTE) and the Committee on Finance, Budget, and Management (CFBM) on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, held a joint oversight hearing to review MBHTE’s operations, financial obligations, and service delivery.

In a social media post, Member of the Parliament Khalid Ma-amor Hadji Abdullah said the hearing aimed to address several issues, including personnel vacancies within the ministry, unremitted Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) pension premiums for teachers, and delays in salary releases for educators.

“The legislative inquiry aimed to resolve persistent systemic roadblocks, protect personnel welfare, and safeguard the educational rights of children across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” Abdullah said.

Lawmakers also examined recruitment challenges linked to the centralized hiring review process and discussed the deployment of secondary school teachers to elementary schools.

Other matters tackled during the hearing included infrastructure planning for barangays without schools and measures to improve access to education for Indigenous Peoples (IP) children.

The transition of thousands of education workers into the Bangsamoro Government also remained under scrutiny during the hearing after officials reported that around 30,666 positions inherited from the former ARMM are still undergoing processing and validation.

During the hearing, MBHTE officials said efforts are ongoing to complete personnel records, appointment papers, and other documentary requirements needed to finalize the workforce migration.

MBHTE officials said efforts are ongoing to complete personnel records, appointment papers, and other documentary requirements needed to finalize the workforce migration.

Lawmakers also urged BHTME to address immediately the shortage of up to 5,630 teachers as of March 31, 2026, by immediate hiring and expediting the recruitment process to ensure schools are adequately staffed and students receive uninterrupted learning.

In a report by GMA Regional TV One Mindanao, Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua asked MBHTE chief Mohagher Iqbal to step down last month due to alleged corruption issues following findings from the Commission on Audit (COA).

According to the letter from the Office of the Chief Minister, the office has identified more than P2.2 billion in allegedly questionable funds. Among these are the failure to liquidate more than P16 million related to the procurement of small armchairs for primary school learners under MBHTE-BARMM Lot 2, and 53 contracts worth over P1.9 billion that were awarded to bidders during the procurement process despite material defects and deficiencies in the required documents.

Macacua said the matter was reportedly seen as a serious issue affecting public trust in the Bangsamoro government. As a result, Minister Macacua requested the resignation of Minister Iqbal from his post.

(With reports from Efren Mamac, GMA Regional TV One Mindanao)