Stakeholders in the education sector on Friday celebrated the joint accomplishments of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines in improving early grade reading and literacy in the country this past year, amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through its ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines Project, USAID worked with DepEd to improve reading and literacy, math, and social and emotional skills for early grade children (K-3) in Regions V (Bicol) and Region VI (Western Visayas).

USAID Philippines Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan said they have supported DepEd in implementing innovative strategies to improve early grade literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional learning.

“Through ABC+ we will work together to reach up to two million students in Regions V, VI and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” said

The US agency also worked in coordination with the Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education for activities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

USAID’s support includes interventions to improve early grade instruction and delivery systems, access to quality materials, and education system capacity. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID has supported the implementation of DepEd’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan at the early grade level.

To date, the USAID-DepEd partnership has produced and distributed nearly four million supplementary reading materials to more than 250,000 students; trained over 10,000 teachers, supervisors, and school administrators; developed and adapted nearly 500 leveled readers in several mother tongue languages and in English; and produced 64 television-based and radio-based instructional materials.

In her remarks during the virtual event, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said the ABC+ project is an example of the many initiatives that made school year 2020 and 2021 possible.

“A collaboration with USAID, this partnership covering Regions V and VI and a division of Maguindanao focuses on improving reading and literacy of math and social and emotional skills for early grade children.... today we will witness a glimpse of the success of this partnership that has helped us achieve what we were able to do during the past year," the DepEd chief said.

Briones cited the need to embrace innovation, to engage with partners and USAID, and the stakeholders to collectively develop innovative solutions that will help to overcome the challenges.

USAID and DepEd are also assisting teachers in project sites to develop appropriate remedial measures to address gaps in reading skills. As a result, children gain the ability to progress towards their actual grade level or become “reading ready” during the school year.

The ABC+ project will continue for three more years and aims to benefit two million early grade learners in its focus areas.