USAID donates P12 M equipment to DepEd’s ALS e-Skwela centers

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated P12 million worth of distance learning equipment to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Alternative Learning System (ALS) e-Skwela Learning Centers. 

According to the USAID, the equipment will aid ALS teachers and coordinators in the field who provide inclusive education to the country’s out-of-school youth.

The donated items include desktop computer units, printers, projectors, wireless routers, and other necessary materials for ALS personnel and students, the USAID said in a statement Thursday.

The equipment were sent to E-Skwela Centers in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Angeles, Legazpi, and Davao.

“The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the out-of-school youth’s lack of access to education. This has magnified their vulnerability, leaving them less able to pursue education and progress towards better economic opportunities for themselves and their families,” DepEd ALS Assistant Secretary G.H. Ambat said. 

According to DepEd, ALS was instituted as a “practical option to the existing formal instruction” — which means that people without access to formal education formats can still catch up through this mode. 

The assistance is part of USAID’s Opportunity 2.0 program, a five-year project worth P1.9-billion, which seeks to support DepEd, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and local governments in its ongoing programs to provide inclusive education, employability skills, and work experience to out-of-school youth in the country. (Faith Yuen Wei Ragasa, Inquirer trainee)

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