The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), recently marked the conclusion of a five-year, Php 280 million ($5 million) partnership with the Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) and the Research Triangle Institute that improved the readings skills of more than 33,300 early grade learners.
USAID’s All Children Reading Philippines (ACR-Philippines) provided research, resources, and technology to support the Philippine government’s implementation of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, training for teachers and school personnel, and improvement of early grade reading outcomes. USAID also supported the production of DepEd TV episodes, eResources, and computer-based assessment tools.
“I believe that when the work that USAID and DepEd accomplished together over the past five years is sustained and scaled up, early grade learners who are benefiting from these initiatives today will say that they had a good education—a fun, empowering, inclusive, and learner-centered education that helped them become better people,” USAID Deputy Mission Director Rebekah Eubanks said during the ACR-Philippines completion ceremony attended by more than 60 DepEd officials and education stakeholders on November 27.
“I am proud that the support USAID’s All Children Reading project provided in developing eResources was made in large part through our collaboration [together with] the Office of Administration and the Office of Curriculum and Instruction. USAID helped us deliver learning to our young children at the time that is most challenging,” DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Michael Kristian Ablan said. “We will make sure that these eResources will reach our learners, especially those in last mile schools.”
Throughout its five-year implementation, the ACR-Philippines project directly benefited 281 schools, 1,180 teachers, 33,361 learners, and 314 education administrators and DepEd Central Office personnel.