Private sector donates P5.5 B to DepEd’s Adopt-a-School

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd), through its Adopt-a-School program, received more than P5.5 billion in donations from the private sector this year, officials said yesterday.

DepEd communications unit director Patrick Salamat said most of the donations are used for school building, feeding programs, school kits and other non-infrastructure projects in areas hit by recent natural calamities.

The Adopt-a-School Act or Republic Act 8525 was enacted in 1988 to provide a venue for the private sector to participate in nation-building through the public education of Filipino children.

The Adopt-a-School project links DepEd to other organizations and partners to help accomplish the basic inputs in education, including classrooms, books, and school seats.

DepEd Undersecretary for partnerships and external linkages Mario Deriquito said more than 130 private companies supported the DepEd’s education programs, including nationwide feeding programs, training and skills development of teachers, and information and communications technology programs.

“We thank the private sector for responding to the department’s call to adopt schools in calamity-stricken areas to aid in their recovery from recent disasters,” Deriquito said during the DepEd’s annual appreciation program for partners held at the Meralco Multi-purpose hall in Pasig City last Tuesday.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro, meanwhile, urged the private sector to also support the agency’s Abot Alam Program, an initiative that aims to locate out of school youth (OSY) and enroll them in appropriate program interventions in education, entrepreneurship and employment.  

To date, the DepEd has mapped over 1.2 million OSY (15 to 30 years old), according to Luistro.

Around 76,000 of them have been enrolled in the Alternative Learning System program, Alternative Delivery Mode, done skills training, or been employed, he said.