BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

The Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking to localize its Adopt-a-School Program to ensure accessibility and responsiveness to regional needs as part of its strategy to accelerate and enhance the delivery of basic education infrastructure, digitalization, and overall accessibility under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

During a recent convergence of private sector partners, DepEd committed to hosting bilateral meetings with specific organizations, streamlining donation processes in coordination with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and broadening its pool of collaborators.

“Thank you, partners. You have been very helpful in the six months we have been in DepEd. Let’s keep the partnership going and work together to make everything faster,” Secretary Sonny Angara said.

DepEd announced that the public-private partnership (PPP) for classroom construction will begin with the development of 15,000 classrooms during the first wave of the project next year. With an expedited construction schedule, these classrooms are expected to be ready by June 2027.

The classrooms will feature 21st-century designs, retrofitted to ensure comfortable learning environments and constructed to withstand natural calamities.

For the digitalization program, known as PSIP Connect, DepEd reported that the procurement of digital hardware will begin in May 2025, with delivery anticipated around the same period in 2026.

Private sector partners also offered to leverage their connections with foreign organizations to ensure that the digital hardware and software distributed through the program meet international standards for both teachers and learners.

In addition to addressing classroom and digitalization gaps, private partners proposed prioritizing solutions to the malnutrition gap, citing it as a significant issue that must be tackled alongside other educational challenges.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, Stratbase, Real Page, the League of Corporate Foundations, Philippine Business for Social Progress, the Management Association of the Philippines, the IT Business Process Association of the Philippines, the Ayala Foundation, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, and the Association of Foundations, Philippine Business for Education.

*All Photos from DepEd