DepEd: P4B worth of projects hit by USAID shutdown
Around P4 billion worth of projects in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) have been affected by the shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programs.
These projects, which support various learning initiatives and infrastructure improvements, may face uncertainties as DepEd explores alternative funding sources to mitigate the impact on students and schools nationwide.
In an interview over Teleradyo Serbisyo on Feb. 5, DepEd Assistant Secretary Roger said there are five major education projects funded by USAID for DepEd.
“So, overall, the projects funded by USAID for basic education total USD 94.02 million,” Masapol said in a mix of English and Filipino, noting that the exchange rate was pegged at P55.
“Nakakapanghinayang lang po kasi nakatake-off na po yung mga activity natin sa DepEd, funded by the US government, kaya lang mayroong ganitong order (It's just unfortunate because the activities we have in DepEd, funded by the US government, had already taken off, but now there's this order),” Masapol said.
“Pero, hindi naman po titigil ang lahat sa DepEd kasi nga po, we can mitigate po (However, everything in DepEd will not stop because, as we said, we can mitigate this),” he added.
For basic education, Masapol said the five major projects funded by USAID include ABC+ (USD47.5M), Opportunity 2.0 (USD37.5M), Gabay (USD2.77M), ILO-Ph (USD5M), and Urban Connect (USD1.25M).
“Well, malaki yung effect po nito talaga, yung impact on the timeline of the project itself (Well, the impact of this is really significant, particularly on the timeline of the project itself),” Masapol added.
To help ensure the continuity of the projects, Masapol explained that under the leadership of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, DepEd has mapped the initiatives and incorporated them under the 5-Point Agenda—the quality basic education development plan under the current leadership.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2025/2/5/angara-dep-ed-s-5-point-reform-agenda
“Ibig sabihin po, lahat po ng suporta na binibigay ng lahat ng partners natin, included na yung USAID, naka-map po siya doon sa priorities natin (This means that all the support provided by our partners, including USAID, is mapped into our priorities),” Masapol said.
“So, ibig sabihin po talaga, ‘pag naghold po itong mga interventions na funded ng US government, may effect po siya doon sa ano sa speed no’ng process ng pag-achieve ng reform process ng DepEd (So, if these interventions funded by the US government are put on hold, it will really affect the speed of the process in achieving the reform process of DepEd),” he added.