THE World Bank has approved a $600-million loan for reforms that will improve the quality of public elementary and lower secondary education in the Philippines.
In a statement on Monday, the multilateral lender said its board had approved funding for the Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization (PLUS-D), which is expected to benefit more than 21 million K-10 learners and around 770,000 teachers nationwide.
The project will be implemented through the Department of Education (DepEd) and will also cover students in the Alternative Learning System.
"For the Philippines, sustaining growth and creating more jobs will depend on strong human capital — a workforce with solid foundational skills in literacy and numeracy," World Bank Division Director for the Philippines Zafer Mustafaoglu said.
"This effort is about giving every Filipino child a fair start, ensuring they can build the skills that underpin lifelong learning and future success in the labor market,” he added.
The World Bank acknowledged that the Philippines had expanded access to basic education in recent years, particularly at the primary and lower secondary levels, but said the country continued to face a severe learning crisis that worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Learning poverty remains high, it added, with nine in 10 children unable to read proficiently by age 10.
“To help address these challenges, PLUS-D aims to deliver nationwide support to help K-10 learners catch up and excel, focusing on foundational literacy and numeracy improvement,” the World Bank said.
“It will support DepEd’s learning acceleration and recovery program, while improving how learning is measured and used in classrooms through enhanced assessments,” it added.
The project will expand access to inclusive learning materials, including resources for learners with disabilities and support for indigenous peoples students, while advancing DepEd’s digitalization and decentralization efforts.
It will also provide grants and tailored support to 10 selected regional offices and more than 11,100 schools to accelerate improvements in elementary and lower secondary education.
In addition, the program is expected to support about 59,000 school leaders and roughly 300 DepEd staff through capacity-building activities.
The lender emphasized that strengthening foundational learning was critical to building human capital and supporting long-term economic growth.
Improving literacy and numeracy skills, it added, will help equip Filipino learners with competencies needed for lifelong learning and better employment opportunities.
"PLUS-D is about combating learning poverty nationwide by equipping teachers with evidence-based support, promoting school autonomy and accountability, and helping Filipino learners become independent, confident readers,” said Edelweiss Teixeira, World Bank senior education specialist and project leader.
“We have seen this work in countries around the world, and the Philippines will be no exception. Help is on the way," Teixeira added.
