The USA government has earmarked $2.5 million (Php 126 million) to help the Philippines’ educational sector with the country’s aim to ensure that children continue their education amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) together with the USA’s US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be working side by side to empower educations with learning materials and instructional strategies to develop their teaching skills both in a classroom and in a remote, learn-from-home setting.
“The US government, through USAID, remains committed to ensuring young students have the opportunity to continue to learn despite the challenges that COVID-19 has created,” USAID Mission Director Lawrence Hardy said.
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Reports from the Philippine News Agency further that USAID will also assist DepEd in developing rapid, easy-to-use assessment tools for teachers to gauge and support students’ literacy skills once they can return to school.
The move follows after the US Embassy in Manila’s estimates that more than 27.7 million Filipino children and youth are at risk of missing out on their crucial educational phase due to disruptions and extended school closures in the Philippines brought about by the pandemic.
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“Students in early grades are particularly vulnerable to learning loss because they need significant support from their parents, teachers, and caregivers. This is also a critical stage in young children’s education as they develop literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills, which are foundations for lifelong learning,” said the statement from the embassy.
The embassy said since the outbreak began, USAID and DepEd have been cooperating to ensure teachers could continue teaching and that children still learn while schools are closed.
