Japan Gives Philippines DepEd $1.5 Million For Preschool Education

A new ADB, Japan grant will see the construction of 60 preschools across the Philippines, giving hope to thousands of poor and malnourished children.

AsianScientist (Mar. 26, 2012) – A new Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan grant will see the construction of 60 preschools across the Philippines, giving hope to thousands of poor and malnourished children.

To help tackle this challenge, ADB – with support from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction financed by the Government of Japan – is providing a US$1.5 million grant to improve early childhood education services in poor communities in Luzon and the Visayas.

The public-private partnership aims to put 6,000 children in new preschool classrooms in impoverished rural communities by 2014.

Another $2.04 million will be financed by the Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) and private partners led by the Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (AGAPP) Foundation.

“The very best investment a country can make in its future is an investment in the education of its children,” said Kunio Senga, Director General of ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.

The government of the Philippines has embarked on a major education reform of kindergarten to the 12th-grade (K to 12) education system, which includes universal kindergarten attendance as a key agenda.

To improve the quality of education, the DepEd introduced a new preschool curriculum in 2010 and 2011, and launched new programs to strengthen early literacy and numeracy.

AGAPP Foundation will build fully equipped preschool classrooms and libraries, train preschool teachers, and conduct research on effective preschool programs. The project will also remove other barriers to education by providing a school feeding program and incentives to send children to school.

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Source: Asian Development Bank.
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