THE DEPARTMENT of Education on Thursday announced its partnership with the BDO Unibank Inc., Friends of Hope Inc. (HOPE) to accelerate classroom construction across the country through a “zero-cost-to-government” fundraising initiative.

The collaboration was formalized following the launch of the BDO HOPE Mastercard on Wednesday, a program designed to generate funds for public school classrooms each time the card is used.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the initiative would help the government address the perennial problem of classroom shortage in public schools nationwide.

“Magsisilbi itong isa sa mga konkretong landas upang mabawasan ang classroom gap sa bansa—isang hamong maaaring abutin pa ng dekada kung hindi natin pagtutulungan (This will serve as a concrete path to reduce the classroom gap in the country– a challenge that will be addressed for even a decade more if not worked out together),” he said.

For her part, Ma. Nannette Regala, BDO Senior Vice President and Consumer Banking Group Marketing Head, said the collaboration aims to give Filipino learners the “safe and inspiring space” they deserve.

“Every child deserves a safe and inspiring space to grow and achieve their aspirations,” she said.

Under the partnership, every use of the new BDO HOPE Mastercard, a credit card, will result in direct contributions for DepEd-validated classroom buildings, prioritizing public schools.

BDO will donate PHP5 to HOPE for the classroom fund for every PHP1,000 qualified spending, alongside a portion of annual membership fees worth PHP200 for principal cards and PHP100 for supplementary cards.

It will shoulder all development, production, and marketing costs of the card, as well as manage the processing and remittance of donations.

DepEd will oversee school selection and ensure compliance with national standards.

“Every swipe gives renewed hope to every learner,” Angara said. (PNA)