THE Department of Education on Tuesday launched the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd Central Office.

The project was developed with the World Bank to aid DepEd in its institutional reform initiatives to enhance teacher professional development and competency standards.

“Our collective commitment to the MATATAG Agenda is stronger than ever and we have prioritized in aiding the support to improve our teachers’ skills. Today, thank you to the support of the World Bank-International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and with the help of the Department of Finance, we are working to strengthen student learning outcomes in Zamboanga Peninsula, SOCCSKSARGEN, and BARMM through the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project or TEACEP,” Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said.

TEACEP aims to improve the quality of education and equitable access to teaching in Kindergarten to Grade 6 in the areas of Region IX, Region XII, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, with a content focus on literacy and numeracy.

The loan agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the World Bank was signed on June 26, 2023, and was declared effective on August 23, 2023.

“I reaffirm and reiterate the World Bank’s enthusiastic support for this crucial investment in education. This is an important project for the country that is fully aligned with the MATATAG Agenda which is a formidable guiding framework for interventions in education,” World Bank’s Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand Dr. Ndiamė Diop said.

The estimated beneficiaries are approximately 57,800 K-6 teachers, 6,060 school heads, and 1.88 million students in grade K-6 in all public elementary schools in the three project-supported regions.