24-6-2023 (MANILA) The World Bank announced on Saturday the approval of a US$110 million loan to fund a project aimed at improving the quality of education in the southern regions of the Philippines.
According to the multilateral lender, the project will benefit nearly two million elementary school students, ranging from kindergarten to grade 6, along with over 60,000 teachers and school administrators in three impoverished regions in western Mindanao.
The primary focus of the program will be to enhance the students’ literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills, with a particular emphasis on fostering peace-building, providing gender-sensitive instruction, promoting climate and disaster resilience, and ensuring inclusive education.
In addition, the project will provide valuable professional development opportunities for teachers, school administrators, and supervisors.
Ndiamé Diop, the World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, highlighted that this initiative is part of the institution’s ongoing commitment to enhance human capital in the Philippines.
While the country has made significant investments in basic education over the past decade, leading to improved enrolment rates, the quality of learning outcomes has remained a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this issue.
