33,361 Filipino kids benefit from US reading program

MANILA, Philippines — Spending $5 million (about P280 million) in the past five years, the United States government’s reading program in the Philippines has benefitted over 33,000 Filipino children in various schools nationwide.

Yesterday, the US embassy in Manila announced the completion of its All Children Reading Philippines project, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The five-year implementation of the project, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Research Triangle Institute, has benefited 281 schools, 1,180 teachers, 33,361 learners and 314 education administrators as well as DepEd central office personnel.

USAID’s program 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 while also supporting the production of DepEd TV learning episodes, eResources and computer-based assessment tools.

Last Nov. 27, 60 DepEd officials and other stakeholders attended the ACR-Philippines completion ceremony.

“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.

In response, DepEd Undersecretary for administration Michael Kristian Ablan said: “USAID helped us deliver learning to our young children at the time that is most challenging. We will make sure that these eResources will reach our learners, especially those in last mile schools.”