TO STRENGTHEN the education sector, the Department of Education signed a P4.8 billion assistance agreement with the US Agency for International Development.

“This new bilateral agreement with DepEd to improve basic education outcomes marks a new era in our longstanding partnership to achieve our shared vision of quality education for all Filipino children and youth,” Lawrence Hardy II, USAID Philippines Mission Director, said.

“These programs will strengthen Philippine institutions to provide quality education. It also recognizes the important and unique contributions the private sector and civil society bring to partnerships in achieving better education results,” he added.

The five-year agreement is seen to deepen the US commitment to help out-of-school youth “by improving literacy rates, math competency, social skills, employment and life skills for out-of-school youth, as well as strengthening education governance,” he said.

“The agreement is one of four new assistance agreements between the US and the Philippines launched in 2020 and 2021, totaling P32.7 billion,” Hardy said.

The other agreements were with the Department of Health to improve the health system; the Department of Finance to develop the economy; and the National Economic and Development Authority to protect the environment.

The US Embassy said the US has provided about P228.8 billion worth of assistance to the Philippines in the past 20 years.