DepEd's Continuous Partnership with USAID to Improve ABC+ for Young Learners

It is very important to nourish young minds, and this is agreed upon by the Department of Education, National Educators Academy of the Philippines, and USAID. With the absence of face to face classes and the other challenges brought about by the pandemic, it didn't stop the three agencies to pursue the continuous growth of the kids when it comes to learning and enhancing their reading skills even without the teacher physically present. These three agencies are all in agreement about the importance to nurture the minds of young learners. 

The three agencies has been advocating the need for the young minds to nourish at their young stage of growth where it matters most, to be able to absorb the right learning skills. Literacy at this stage is where the foundation must be laid. 

USAID has been providing the ABC+ or its Advancing Basic Education where more than 10,000 beneficiaries from the education sector primarily the teachers, school heads, supervisors and principals, and provided 9 million early grade learning materials.

Recipients for this program include public schools from Regions V and VI, namely the Bicol and the Western Visayas region. The agencies focused on how to further develop and strengthen the Literacy and Reading in light of the heightened difficulties brought by the pandemic.

The selected public schools in the said regions were able to focus with the adoption of technology using the internet as a medium of learning, with the new innovations and initiatives strengthening literacy instruction at the early grade level in the context of the new normal. 400 projects headed by the School Teachers attended the USAID led "Instructional Leadership Training: Strengthening Learning Conditions for Early Literacy."

The training focused on developing literacy leaders who can foster positive school climate and conditions integrating social and emotional learning, gender equity and social inclusion, and developmentally appropriate practices to support quality literacy instruction. USAID officials, DepEd representatives, teachers and officials from DepEd Regions V and VI, and other key partners and stakeholders attended the conference. 

The event featured multiple activities, including a virtual poster and video exhibition of project initiatives, a virtual area featuring USAID-supported early grade learning materials, and read aloud events featuring books in Filipino, English, and mother tongue languages developed through USAID support. The conference also included discussions on literacy leadership, home partners’ literacy programs, school climate, and gender equality and social inclusion.      

The awarding of winners were set as the culminating part of the 3-day online event held last December 10, 2021 during a virtual conference.

It is with the highest gratitude to the USAID, the National Educators Academy of the Philippines, hand in hand with the Department of Education has continued to roll out such programs that enrich our young generations which will be the heroes of the future.

USAID has been helping the Philippines and the Local Government for the past 60 years in helping us achieve early learning ability for our children. The USAID has invested around P200M plus for this. USAID Advancing Basic Education (ABC+) project, has trained more than 10,000 teachers, school heads, supervisors and principals, and provided 9 million early grade learning materials since 2019.