The United States government announced an additional P485-million in funding to expand the Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines (ABC+) project of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the literacy and math skills of Filipino students.
With a total funding of P2.6 billion, ABC+ will now extend its reach to new regions, including select areas in Metro Manila, Mimaropa, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Soccsksargen. This will provide for 900,000 new books and learning materials, benefiting an additional 350,000 students and bringing the total number of students reached to 2.8 million.
“We are focusing on strengthening students’ foundational skills, especially for those students who are struggling with reading,” US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said in a news release from the US Embassy.
“Just as with learning to read, we are taking a team approach—advancing step by step, word by word, teacher by teacher, student by student, to open possibilities for Filipino youth,” she added.
“The United States is committed to working with the Philippines to provide a quality education that empowers children to enjoy a successful future.”
To commemorate the program’s growth, Carlson led the handover of K-3 books to the Schools Division Office of Malabon City, one of the project’s new expansion areas, along with Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara.
Carlson participated in a read-along session with Grade 3 students from Malabon Elementary School to further encourage a love for reading. Also in attendance were Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval as well as officials from the DepEd regional and Schools Division offices.
“There is so much to be thankful for—the USAID ABC+ project has been successful in improving the capacities of our learners, and we want to expand it using the resources of the DepEd in the same way, with the same quality, the same measurability, and the same rigor that ABC+ has provided,” Angara said.
The ABC+ project aims to build on its successful track record in the new regions. Through this project, USAID has provided over 43,000 educators with early literacy training certified by the National Educators Academy of the Philippines; created and distributed 33.2 million early grade literacy materials; and supported students in Bicol, Western Visayas, and select areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Since 2019, USAID has been working with DepEd through the ABC+ project to strengthen teacher professional development, improve the availability and use of learning resources, bolster the capacity of the education system, and support effective early grade instruction.
