THE UNITED Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization and Korea International Cooperation Office led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Girls Education Center that will rise in Palo, Leyte.

The construction of the center was part of the “Better Life for Out-of-School Girls to Fight Against Poverty and Injustice in the Philippines” project funded by Koica and implemented by Unesco together with the Department of Education.

DEPED Eastern Visayas Regional Director Dr. Ma. Gemma Ledesma said the center will help motivate children enrolled in the Alternative Learning System to finish the program.

“We see this facility as one that has been needed for years. We are excited because we know for sure that this type of support will increase the motivation of our Alternative Learning System learners to finish the program,”  she said.

Dr. Hans Dencker Thulstrup, officer-in-charge of Unesco Jakarta, said that the project aimed to increase the passing rate among out-of-school girls in the Accreditation and Equivalency Test, improve ALS girl-learners and ALS mobile teachers skills and develop new teaching and learning materials.

“As we continue to redefine the future of education, we have to continuously create ways to ensure that learners —  especially girls — who cannot commit to formal schooling due to various social, economic, geographic, and even cultural factors, be given a chance to have access to a more flexible and appropriate alternative learning program,” he said.

Koica Acting Country Director Jaesang Hwang pledged to help eradicate poverty through the program.

“Through Unesco, we promised to do our share in eradicating poverty by spearheading quality and inclusive education with special focus on gender equality. The construction of the Girls Education Center is one testament to the fulfillment of that promise,” Hwang said.