Shariah Bar exams attain several milestones
SEVERAL milestones were achieved for the 2024 Shariah Bar Examinations (SBE), according to Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh.
Being this year's head of the SBE, Singh said that the 2024 examinations mark the first time that the Bar is being chaired by a sitting member of the Supreme Court in its efforts to formally integrate the Shariah.
Also, the SBE will be conducted yearly instead of every other year, with Associate Justice Antonio Kho Jr. leading the next examinations in 2025.
Supreme CourtIn conducting the SBE more frequently, Singh said the Court aims to strengthen and make the Shariah justice system more accessible by encouraging and giving more opportunities to aspiring Shariah counselors to undertake such endeavors.
In addition, to encourage more examinees, a second batch of the Shariah Training Seminar (STS), a requirement for those who intend to take the SBE, was held in seven different venues around the country.
Singh said that the Supreme Court will now take over the conduct of the STS in cooperation with the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos.
AdvertisementShe added that for the first time, the SBE is being conducted in Mindanao, with examinees outside Metro Manila given equal and fair access to testing centers.
Similar to the Philippine Bar Examinations, the 2024 SBE has implemented the computer-based program Examplify, which enables examinees to take the exam digitally from their respective LTCs, Singh said.
Based on data from the Supreme Court Public Information Office (SC PIO), over 90 percent of the examinees took the digital format, while the remaining opted to take the handwritten exam.
Examinees were also given the choice to take the written exam in Arabic.
AdvertisementThe Supreme Court has allowed interested overseas Filipino workers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to join the STS online and take the examinations in the Philippines.
Singh said the Court granted qualified examinees financial assistance to cover their airfare and accommodations.
This year's SBE saw an increase in the number of examinees. From 526 examinees in 2022, 855 attended Day 1 of this year's SBE last April 28, marking the highest number in SBE history.
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