Philippines to increase supervision of Islamic schools over radicalization fears

Authorities in the Philippines will standardize teaching in both public and private Islamic schools due to concerns over radicalization in the country after last year’s terrorist siege in the city of Marawi, AP reported. The country will implement an “institutionalized madrassa system” with a standard curriculum and greater oversight from the Department of Education, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a security conference in Singapore. According to the official, some of the Islamic schools were found to have been run by extremists, which made them funnels for the discreet funding of radical activities. The siege of Marawi by jihadists lasted for five months last year, leaving more than 1,100 people, mostly militants, dead and 200,000 displaced.