DepEd Memorandum 007, s. 2026
Administration of the Qualifying Examination in Arabic Language and Islamic Studies in the First Quarter of 2026
FEB 12 2026
DepEd MEMORANDUM
No. 007, s. 2026
ADMINISTRATION OF THE QUALIFYING EXAMINATION IN ARABIC LANGUAGE AND ISLAMIC STUDIES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2026
To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Minister, Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, BARMM
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Public and Private Elementary and Secondary School Heads
Attached Agencies
All Others Concerned
1. As cited in DepEd Order (DO) No. 41, s. 2017, titled Policy Guidelines on Madrasah Education in the K to 12 Basic Education Program, the Qualifying Examination in Arabic Language and Islamic Studies (QEALIS) is an entry-level examination required for individuals applying to become asatidz (a general Arabic term for teachers, historically or traditionally used in most Filipino Muslim communities). This examination intends to gauge the proficiency of test-takers in the Arabic language and knowledge of Islamic studies.
2. The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA), will administer the QEALIS in the first quarter of 2026 in the schools division offices (SDOs) listed in Table 1 below. The test administration date will be announced in a separate Memorandum.
Table 1. Testing Center of the Examinees Based on Their Region of Origin
Region of Origin of Examinees | Testing Center (Schools Division Office) |
I | Ilocos Sur |
II | Isabela |
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR | |
III | Pampanga |
IV-A | Sta. Rosa City |
| Cavite City |
| Rizal |
National Capital Regioin (NCR) | Makati City |
IV-B | Palawan |
| Oriental Mindoro |
V | Legazpi City |
VI | Iloilo City |
VII | Cebu City |
VIII | Tacloban City |
NIR | Bacolod City |
| Dumaguete City |
IX and BARMM (Marawi City and Lanao del Sur) | Iligan City |
| Cagayan de Oro City |
XI | |
XII and BARMM: Cotabato City and Maguindanao I and II | Cotabato Province |
XII | General Santos City |
Caraga | Butuan City |
The registrants from the region assigned to the testing center shall be prioritized. A registration number shall be assigned to each registrant.
3. The registrants shall possess the following qualifications:
a. Filipino citizen aged 18-64 on the examination day, and
b. At least a high school graduate in both secular (English) and Islamic (Arabic) Education.
4. The registrants shall submit the following requirements:
a. Two copies of the Registration Form (Enclosure No. 1) attached with the most recent lxl bare-faced identification (ID) picture with a name tag, in accordance with the guidelines of the Civil Service Commission (CSC);
b. Authenticated photocopy of the Birth Certificate/ Affidavit of Live Birth;
c. Photocopy of any valid ID/ Barangay Clearance/ Certificate of Residency;
d. Any of the two:
i. Certified True Copy ( CTC) of the college Official Transcript of Records (OTR) or diploma; or
ii. CTC of valid documents as proof of high school graduation, such as School Form 10 (SFl0), Form 137, or diploma; and
e. CTC of the diploma or Certificate of Completion as a Thanawi graduate.
5. The Division Testing Coordinator (DTC) shall serve as the Chief Examiner (CE) in the designated testing center. The CE shall lead and oversee all the activities before, during, and after the test administration.
6. All Division Madrasah Education Program (MEP) Coordinators, in collaboration with the DTCs, shall facilitate the registration in their scope. Initial screening of the requirements shall be done at the SDOs. Any DepEd personnel who are highly skilled in understanding Arabic texts may (be tapped to) assist in evaluating/ screening documents presented by the registrants.
7. One copy of the registration form signed by an authorized evaluator shall be returned to the registrants. The said document shall be presented by the registrant on the examination day.
8. The list of qualified registrants, together with the scanned compilation of registration forms, shall be submitted to the Regional MEP Coordinator on or before February 18, 2026. After the consolidation of lists, the Regional Testing Coordinator (RTC) shall prepare Form 1 (Enclosure No. 2) and send it to the BEA-Education Assessment Division through email at bea.ead@deped.gov.ph on or before February 20, 2026. The allocation for all testing centers shall be finalized through a consultative meeting with the field MEP coordinators and testing coordinators on February 24, 2026.
9. The RTC of the testing centers, in collaboration with the Regional MEP Coordinator, shall release a Regional Memorandum regarding the following details:
a. List of qualified registrants;
b. Details about the test administration, such as the identified specific venue and examination schedule of qualified registrants; and
c. Contact information of the key testing personnel.
The SDOs shall subsequently issue a Division Memorandum in connection with the Regional Memorandum.
10. Prior to the test administration, the registrants and involved testing personnel shall review the materials accessible through this link: https://bit.ly/DepEdQEALIS. The Google Drive folder accessible via the link shall also be used to post the contact details of point persons for activities and announcements related to the examination.
11. On the day of the test, the registrants shall be required to bring the following:
a. Registration form signed by the authorized evaluator;
b. Original copies of the submitted requirements;
c. Most recent lxl bare-faced ID picture with a name tag, in accordance with the guidelines of the CSC; and
d. Two pencils (No. 2), an eraser, and a sharpener.
12. A test monitor from the DepEd Central Office shall deliver and retrieve the test materials. He/ She shall also monitor the test administration.
13. The cut score for the qualifiers shall be determined through standard setting by subject matter experts, curriculum developers, and core implementers of the MEP.
14. A Certificate of Rating (COR) shall be issued to the examinees indicating their individual ratings. Information regarding the release of results shall be disseminated through a separate memorandum.
15. For inquiries and other concerns, please contact the Bureau of Education Assessment-Education Assessment Division, Department of Education Central Office, DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, through email at bea.ead@deped.gov.ph.
16. Immediate dissemination of this Memorandum is desired.
By the Authority of the Secretary:
(Sgd.) CARMELA C. ORACION
Assistant Secretary
Officer-in-Charge
Office of the Undersecretary of Learning Systems
Encls.:
As stated
Reference:
DepEd Order (No. 41, s. 2017)
DepEd Memorandum No. 057, s. 2024
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index
under the following subjects:
EXAMINATION
LANGUAGE
LEARNERS
OFFICIALS
PROGRAMS
REQUIREMENTS
TEACHERS
TEST
A full copy of DepEd Memorandum No. 007, s. 2026 below:
0 Comments